José Eduardo dos Santos’ funeral with no date set

 Luanda- The minister of Territory Administration, Marcy Lopes, said Saturday in Luanda, that with the arrival in Luanda of the corpse of the former Angolan President José Eduardo dos Santos, the coming days will be reserved for the tackling administrative and protocol issues related to the funeral.

The minister made the statement to the press at Luanda’s 4 de Fevereiro International Airport, following the arrival of the remains of the former Angolan statesman, who died on July 8 in Spain.

 

Regarding the date of the funeral, the minister, who coordinates the commission for the organization of the exequies, said the process needs to be handled with care and attention, adding that the date for the funeral will be communicated soon.

 

José Eduardo dos Santos died at the age of 79 in a Barcelona hospital, where he had been hospitalized since June 23 following a cardiac arrest.

 

Jose Eduardo dos Santos’ remains are in this moment in his official residence in the Miramar neighborhood, in Luanda.

 

In the next hours, the former president’s remains will be under the responsibility of the Ministry of Health until the date of the funeral to be announced by government authorities.

 

Outcome in Court

On August 16 the Court of Catalonia (Spain) decided to deliver the body of the Former President of the Republic, José Eduardo dos Santos, to his wife, Ana Paula dos Santos, for his burial.

 

The decision was made after the judge received reports from the Forensic Medical Institute and the Toxicology Laboratory.

 

The document says that in the resolution the judge recognizes Ana Paula dos Santos as the widow of the former Angolan Head of State.

 

The deliberation gave the former first lady the custody of the body of the former Head of State to proceed with the translocation process.

 

Ana Paula dos Santos was the interlocutor of the Angolan government when her husband was interned in a clinic in Barcelona, where he died.

 

During the process, the former First Lady of the Republic had the support of the Angolan government.

 

The legal dispute over the custody of the body involved the widow and the eight children of the former President of the Republic, especially the three eldest who were opposed to the delivery and transfer of the body of the former Head of State.

 

The transfer of the remains from Barcelona to the Angolan capital was accompanied by the widow of the former statesman, Ana Paula dos Santos, her children, relatives and  Angolan government officials.

 

José Eduardo dos Santos came to office as President of the Republic in September 1979, following the death of António Agostinho Neto, Angola's first president, and was in office for 38 years, until he was succeeded by João Lourenço.

José Eduardo dos Santos mortal remains sent to Luanda

 Luanda – The body of the former President of the Republic, José Eduardo dos Santos, is being flown to Luanda, whereit is expected to arrive this Saturday (20).

The information was confirmed today, in a statement, by the Commission for the Organisation of the Funeral Ceremony, adding that the date and programme of the funeral will be communicated in due course. 

 

Last Tuesday (16), the Court of Catalonia (Spain) decided the delivery of the remains of the former President of the Republic, José Eduardo dos Santos, to his wife Ana Paula dos Santos, for burial. 

 

The decision was made after the judge received reports from the Legal Medical Institute and the Toxicology Laboratory. 

 

 The document states that in the resolution the judge recognises Ana Paula dos Santos as the widow of the former Angolan Head of State. 

 

The deliberation empowers the former first lady to have the custody of the remains of the former Head of State and to proceed with the process of transfer. 

 

 Ana Paula dos Santos was the Angolan government's interlocutor when her husband was in a clinic in Barcelona, where he died. 

 

During the process, the former First Lady of the Republic had the support of the Angolan government, which intends to hold a state funeral in Luanda. 

 

Following the death of the former Head of State, the Angolan government decreed seven days of national mourning that came to an end without the presence of Mr Dos Santos remains. 

 

The legal dispute over custody of the body involved the widow and the eight children of the former President of the Republic, mainly the three eldest ones who opposed the delivery and transfer of the body of the former Head of State to Angola. 

 

 The former President of Angola, José Eduardo dos Santos, died at the age of 79 on 8 July in a hospital in Barcelona, where he had been hospitalised since 23 June after a cardiac arrest. 

Ghana To Play Brazil In Pre-World Cup Friendly

 The Black Stars of Ghana will play against Brazil in an International friendly next month as part of the build up to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 finals.

This follows the decision of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to postpone matches in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

The game will take place on Friday, September 23, 2022 at a yet to be named venue in Europe.

The match will give Coach Otto Addo the platform to continue the assessment of his players in the build up to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 finals in Doha.

The Black Stars will play Portugal (November 24), South Korea (November 28) and Uruguay (December 2) while Brazil face Serbia (24 November), Switzerland (28 November) and Cameroon (December 2).

The international friendly match against the Brazil national team will give Ghana a boost going into the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 tournament.

Ukraine Wheat Will Ease Ethiopia Hunger – WFP

 The World Food Programme (WFP) says 30,000 tonnes of Ukrainian wheat bought for its operations in Ethiopia is expected to arrive in neighbouring Djibouti next week.

Claire Neville, the WFP’s spokesperson for Ethiopia, has told the BBC that the wheat will support the organisation’s efforts to feed millions of people affected by food insecurity as a result of protracted conflicts and severe drought.

The food will support the body’s operations across the country, where it aims to target 3.4 million people in the northern regions of Tigray, Afar and Amhara that have been impacted by a brutal civil war that broke out 22 months ago, Ms Neville added.

An additional 2.4 million people are expected to be reached in the eastern Somali region, where people have been hit by consecutive seasons of low rainfall.

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Ethiopian Airlines Pilots ‘Overshoot Runway After Falling Asleep’

 Two pilots fell asleep at 37,000ft (11,000m), missing an airport runway before waking to safely land the plane, an aviation publication says.

Air traffic tried to contact them after they overshot the point of descent into Ethiopia’s Addis Ababa airport.

The pilots eventually woke up and landed the plane on its second approach, the Aviation Herald said.

The Ethiopian Airlines crew have been put on leave pending investigation, state-run news outlet Fana reported.

Monday’s passenger flight took off from Sudan’s Khartoum airport.

The Boeing 737, with a 154-seat capacity, normally takes less than two hours on its route between the neighbouring countries.

Reactions to sleeping on the job ranged from sympathy with the pilots’ work schedule to shock that they fell asleep on the job.

“I wouldn’t cast blame on the Ethiopian crew specifically here – this is something that could happen to ANY crew in the world and it probably DID happen… The blame lies on the corporation and the regulators,” read one comment on the Aviation Herald website.

Another user suggested that there was only one solution: “Termination. End of story. Full stop.”

Others saw the funny side of the story, comment on Twitter, “Sleeping on the job taken to new heights!”

An aviation analyst called the incident “deeply concerning” on Twitter.

“Pilot fatigue is nothing new, and continues to pose one of the most significant threats to air safety – internationally,” tweeted aviation analyst, Alex Macheras.

The BBC has contacted Ethiopian Airlines for comment.

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Elections 2022: Voters told to leave polling place after casting ballot

 Viana - The president of Associação Mãos Livres (Free Hands Association) Guilherme das Neves has appealed to the voters to refrain from staying in the vicinity of polling places after voting.

Guilherme das Neves launched the call during a press conference on the electoral process held in Viana, Luanda, on Friday (19).

The official said that the presence of citizens at the polling stations, if it takes place, "would represent a danger, as the real intentions of the people are not known".

Despite acknowledging that it is not forbidden to remain at a distance of more than 500 meters, he said there is no reason for voters to remain in the surroundings, since all political parties will be represented by delegates appointed to supervise the process.

Asked to comment on the movement of the defence and security forces, Guilherme das Neves said it was legal, and to "avoid any acts of instability".

"One thing is the gathering and another is the demonstration, but all this in practice is not good, because the excesses on the part of the citizens will be greater on this day-off duty", he stressed.

According to the human rights activist, "if the UNITA party claims to be right about its argument, from a practical point of view it is not advisable."

On the alleged electoral fraud, he stated that “this speech has been around since the first elections in 1992”, stressing that the decision to vote is up to Angolans as potential voters.

He said he is optimistic that the elections will take place in a climate of peace and harmony, but he does not rule out the possibility of an incident depending on the results of each competing party.

As for the role of the Catholic Church in holding vigils, he considered it "a positive gesture, since at this stage the institution is becoming a credible voice for society".

“Most Angolans are Christians and are praying for peace, because the mission of the Church is the pacification of spirits,' ' he concluded.

Founded on April 25, 2000, Associação Mãos Livres (Free Hands Association) is a philanthropic organisation that watches over human rights and, among other tasks, provides legal support to vulnerable people, working on training and technical support for human development processes and access to justice.

Elections2022: CPLP wants peaceful elections

 Luanda - Community of the Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP) hopes the 24 general elections runs smoothly and the contending parties accept the results to ensure the country’s progress, for the good of all Angolans.

This was expressed by the head of the CPLP Observers Mission in the general elections in Angola, Jorge Carlos Fonseca.

The official was speaking at the end of a meeting with the MPLA candidate for President of the Republic, João Lourenço. 

The former president of Cabo Verde, who arrived Friday in Luanda,  pledged to do their best so that the process takes place with democratic normality and that, both in the electoral campaign, scrutiny and the release of the results.

He is of the view that these elections mark the path Angola has been tracking in order to consolidate democracy and improve the democratic rule of law. 

As for number of contending parties (seven political parties and one coalition of parties), he said that this election is a sign of the vitality of Angolan democracy and the interest demonstrated by the political parties in destiny and the course of the country. 

He said that it was crucial that the electoral campaign, which takes place in the difference, in the diversity and in the confrontation of ideas, runs   with tranquility and without violence, allowing the political parties to present their ideas and proposals to facilitate the choice of the citizens with active electoral capacity. 

On the meeting with the MPLA candidate, he said that it served to address issues related to the electoral process, its development and provide  information about the role and mission of the CPLP in this process.

 CPLP mission is comprised by 34 observer members.