Covid-19 : ANGOLA records the recovery of 449 patients, the registration of 82 new cases and 3 deaths.

Luanda - The health authorities announced Monday the recovery of 449 patients, the registration of 82 new cases and 3 deaths.

According to health minister, Silvia Lutucuta, who was speaking at a press conference, amongst those recovered, 315 live in Luanda, 61 in Cuando Cubango, 27 in Huambo, 18 in Namibe, 11 in Huila, 5 in Zaire, 3 in Benguela, 3 in Cuanza Sul, 2 in Bengo, 2 in Cunene, 1 in Bié and 1 in Lunda Norte.

Among the new cases, she said, 49 were diagnosed in Luanda, 11 in Huila, 7 in Cuando Cubango, 4 in Huambo, 3 in Bié, 2 in Cabinda, 2 in Cuanza Norte, 2 in Malanje and 2 in Zaire.

The new patients, whose ages range from 3 to 83 years old, include 56 mem 26 women.

According to the Cabinet minister, the deaths were registered in Luanda, with 1, and Huíla with 2.

The general figure shows 35,854 positive cases, with 800 deaths, 29,329 recovered and 5,725 active.

United States Government Donates Equipment to the Barbados Coast Guard

On Friday, June 4, U.S. Southern Command, donated vital maritime parts to the Barbados Coast Guard at a handover ceremony held at the Barbados Coast Guard Headquarters, HMBS PELICAN. The donation, which is valued at approximately US$195,000, is part of the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI) Foreign Military Financing Program and was led by the U.S. Embassy in Bridgetown with support from the U.S. Coast Guard’s Office of International Acquisitions Program. The maritime spare parts package will support multiple vessels previously donated by the U.S. Embassy’s Military Liaison Office and the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs to the Barbados Coast Guard and will assist with future maintenance and operations to ensure capability to conduct maritime patrols, counter illicit-trafficking operations, and maintain border security.

Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Barbados, Joaquin Monserrate, noted that the handover ceremony reflects the long-standing commitment of the United States to Barbados and the region to support sustained peace and security. He added, “We are proud of the opportunity to continue to partner with the professional men and women of the Barbados Defence Force and Coast Guard.” Speaking on behalf of the Barbados Coast Guard, Commander Mark Peterson, said, “The donation is timely, well-received and will undoubtedly boost the Barbados Coast Guard’s maritime capacity. Barbados, allied with the United States, continue to play a pivotal role in maritime safety and security.”

………………………………………………………………

Mali coup leader Goita sworn in as interim president, appoints PM

Assimi Goita, the Malian colonel who has overthrown two presidents in the past nine months, said he would oversee a transition toward democratic elections as he was sworn in as interim president on Monday.

Goita, a 38-year-old special forces commander, had already been declared president by the constitutional court last month after ousting Bah Ndaw, but was formally sworn in on Monday during a ceremony in the capital Bamako.

Within hours, he appointed opposition leader and former minister Choguel Maiga as prime minister, according to a decree read on state television.

It was not immediately clear to what extent Maiga’s appointment would satisfy calls from Mali’s neighbours and military allies like France and the United States for a civilian-led government.

Those countries, fearful the political upheaval could undermine a fight against Islamist insurgents across the Sahel region,have also been pressing to ensure elections go ahead next February as scheduled. Goita’s advisers have suggested those might be delayed.

“The situation offers us the opportunity to put the process of transition back in the direction desired by the people,” Goita, who had traded his camouflage fatigues for a dark gray officer’s uniform and a yellow sash, said at his inauguration.

A supporter of Mali’s M5-RFP opposition coalition, holds a poster of the colonel Assimi Goita during a rally to mark a year since the start of protest marches that contributed to the ouster of former President Ibrahim Boubakar Keita at the Independence Square in Bamako, Mali June 4, 2021. The poster reads “President Assimi Goita – the hope of Mali”. REUTERS/Amadou Keita

He said he was committed to implementing “the actions necessary for the success of the transition, notably the organisation of credible, fair and transparent elections that are held as scheduled.”

Goita was one of several colonels who overthrew President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita last August.

A transitional government that would oversee an 18-month transition to democratic elections was then put in place with Ndaw as president and Goita as his vice.

Goita last month ordered the arrests of both Ndaw and the prime minister for not informing him about the details of a cabinet reshuffle, which he alleged violated the transitional charter. Both later resigned while in custody.

West African regional bloc ECOWAS and the African Union last week suspended Mali from their organisations, although they declined to impose further sanctions. The World Bank said on Friday it had temporarily paused payments to the country.

Former colonial power France, which maintains more than 5,000 troops in Mali to combat Islamist militants, said it would temporarily suspend joint military operations with Malian troops but would continue to operate in the country separately.

………………………………………………………………

US Supreme Court rules against immigrants with temporary status

WASHINGTON (AP) — A unanimous Supreme Court ruled Monday that thousands of people living in the U.S. for humanitarian reasons are ineligible to apply to become permanent residents.

Justice Elena Kagan wrote for the court that federal immigration law prohibits people who entered the country illegally and now have Temporary Protected Status from seeking “green cards” to remain in the country permanently.

The designation applies to people who come from countries ravaged by war or disaster. It protects them from deportation and allows them to work legally. There are 400,000 people from 12 countries with TPS status.

The outcome in a case involving a couple from El Salvador who have been in the U.S. since the early 1990s turned on whether people who entered the country illegally and were given humanitarian protections were ever “admitted” into the United States under immigration law.

Kagan wrote that they were not. “The TPS program gives foreign nationals nonimmigrant status, but it does not admit them. So the conferral of TPS does not make an unlawful entrant…eligible” for a green card, she wrote.

The House of Representatives already has passed legislation that would make it make possible for TPS recipients to become permanent residents, Kagan noted. The bill faces uncertain prospects in the Senate.

The case pitted the Biden administration against immigrant groups that argued many people who came to the U.S. for humanitarian reasons have lived in the country for many years, given birth to American citizens and put down roots in the U.S.

In 2001, the U.S. gave Salvadoran migrants legal protection to remain in the U.S. after a series of earthquakes in their home country.

People from 11 other countries are similarly protected. They are: Haiti, Honduras, Myanmar, Nepal, Nicaragua, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen.

HUFF Post

……………………………………………………………

Kamala Harris plane forced to return to Andrews AFB due to technical problem

JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. (AP) — A technical problem that involved “no immediate safety issue” forced Vice President Kamala Harris’ plane to return to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland about 30 minutes after she had left Sunday on a trip to Guatemala and Mexico.

Air Force Two landed safely and she gave a thumbs-up when she got off.

“I’m good, I’m good. We all said a little prayer, but we’re good,” she said.

The vice president departed in another plane about an hour and a half later.

Her spokesperson, Symone Sanders, told reporters traveling with Harris that shortly after takeoff the crew of the original aircraft noticed that the landing gear was not storing as it should, which could have led to further mechanical issues.

“While there as no immediate safety issue, out of an abundance of caution they returned to JBA where they have all the parts and mechanics they need to fix the issue,” she said.

………………………………………………………………

Putin signs law to pull Russia out of Open Skies treaty

Moscow, June 7, (dpa/GNA) – President Vladimir Putin has signed a law withdrawing Russia from the Open Skies treaty, an arms control pact with the United States that permitted unarmed surveillance flights over military facilities in both countries.

The law went into effect upon publication by the Kremlin on Monday.

The Kremlin leader himself had ordered the withdrawal from Open Skies. The military observation flights were seen as key to building confidence between Russia and the West after the Cold War.

The decision to abandon the pact was mutual. The administration of former US president Donald Trump announced a year ago that the US would withdraw from Open Skies, alleging Russia had violated its terms. The Biden administration decided in May to stick to that decision.

Russia blamed the United States for the end of the agreement.

Last week, Russia’s upper house of parliament voted to scrap the treaty. Putin’s signature was the last legal act to withdraw from the deal, signed in Helsinki on March 24, 1992. It has been in force since 2002.

The topic is now expected to be off the table at Putin’s summit with US President Joe Biden on June 16 in Geneva.

Only one key arms control agreement remains between the United States and Russia: the New START nuclear disarmament treaty. Shortly before it was set to expire in February, Biden and Putin had agreed on an extension. The New START treaty limits the nuclear arsenals of both countries to 800 delivery systems and 1,550 ready-to-use nuclear warheads.

GNA

………………………………………………………………

Jeff Bezos and brother to fly to space in Blue Origin flight

The Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has said he will fly to space with his brother on the first human flight launched by his space company, Blue Origin.

In an Instagram post, Mr Bezos said space flight was something he had wanted to do “my whole life”.

Blue Origin is also auctioning off a seat in the capsule, for someone who will join the pair on the inaugural manned flight.

Jeff Bezos is one of the world’s richest people.

He has a net worth of $186.2bn (£131.5bn), according to Forbes magazine.

“On July 20th, I will take that journey with my brother,” he wrote in the Instagram post. “The greatest adventure, with my best friend.”

Mr Bezos’s brother Mark called it a “remarkable opportunity” in the video.

Bidding for a seat on the New Shepard – the name of the Blue Origin vehicle – had reached $2.8m when Mr Bezos announced his plan to take the flight. The auction concludes on 12 June.

The New Shepard booster can land vertically on the ground after returning from space.

According to Blue Origin’s website the company plans to launch its passengers more than 100km (62 miles) above the earth’s surface, allowing them to experience microgravity.

The first manned flight comes just two weeks after Mr Bezos plans to step down as CEO of Amazon.

Instead he will serve as executive chairman of the e-commerce giant he first founded 30 years ago in his garage, allowing him “time and energy” to focus on other ventures.

………………………………………………………………