Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information, people and ideas, Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information, news and insight around the world 2025 at 10:43 AM ESTUpdated on January 23 2025 at 11:34 AM ESTBookmarkSaveAngola’s government said it’s made full disclosure of all material information related to a loan facility that’s become the subject of an arbitration process and is confident that its debt is sustainable The statement comes a month after the Finance Ministry issued a prospectusBloomberg Terminal on Dec in which it signaled that the government is party to arbitration related to a syndicated facility It didn’t provide further details about the loan Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information 2024 at 8:22 AM EDTBookmarkSaveAngola’s Finance Ministry said it will extend the practice of paying local suppliers with Treasury bills because the oil-rich nation’s government doesn’t have sufficient cash The state may sell new securities to cover the payments to suppliers coordinator of arrears at the ministry’s Public Debt Management unit Company NewsAngola in Talks With Starlink Over Introducing Satellite ServiceBy Candido MendesPublished: September 26, 2024 at 12:29PM EDT (Bloomberg) -- Angola said it is in talks with Elon Musk’s Starlink Inc about introducing the satellite service to the southwest African nation. Telecommunications and Information Technologies Minister Mario de Oliveira, speaking Thursday on Luanda-based RNA Radio, said he had held discussions with Starlink in New York and they were at an advanced stage. “I believe the future we will bring good results,” Oliveira said, without providing details. Musk’s high-speed internet service is already present in a number of African countries, with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa earlier this month disclosing he was also talking with Musk, the world’s richest person, who was born in the country. Twitter feed ©2025 BellMedia All Rights Reserved United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) March 29, 2011 Filed Under: High Level Group Candido Mendes has a Bachelor’s Degree in Law and Philosophy from Pontifícia Universidade Católica of Rio de Janeiro in Law from Faculdade Nacional de Direito and Universidade do Brasil He is Rector of Universidade Candido Mendes president of Sociedade Brasileira de Instrução a member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters president of the Forum of Rectors of Rio de Janeiro and Secretary General of the Académie de la Latinité Mendes has held senior posts in academic and international governmental contexts including at: the Brazilian Academy of Economics; UNESCO; The Presidential Commission on Corruption; and the Council on Educational Cooperation with Latin America He has received widespread acknowledgement for his contributions to the areas of education and for his efforts to bridge the divides between different cultures Mendes is author of over thirty books on political science UNAOC is the premier global platform for intercultural dialogue For the latest news from the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), browse through the recent editions of our monthly newsletter Copyright © 2023 UNITED NATIONS ALLIANCE OF CIVILIZATIONS | DC1 One United Nations Plaza, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10017 | PRIVACY | TERMS | Return to top The village of Dois Rios is home to one church and about 90 residents living among dozens of buildings that are being swallowed by the tropical forest It sits 100 miles west of Rio de Janeiro on the southern coast of a rugged largely untouched island called Ilha Grande where a small plain breaks the mountainous landscape They are scattered among the eerily empty streets—cars are banned in Ilha Grande and Dois Rios can be so quiet you can hear your footsteps—that stretch between the foothills and the white sandy beach where two rivers flow into the Atlantic Ocean giving the village its name (Dois Rios means “Two Rivers” in Portuguese) Tropical vegetation has grown inside many abandoned houses making the paint flake and the ceilings crumble The forest has reclaimed the old soccer pitch The old main square has turned into a meadow and the old obelisk in its center sticks out of the tall grass Locals go about tranquil lives at this edge of the world “It’s a very quiet place,” says Moises a middle-aged street vendor who asked to be identified with his first name “It’s good for the second part of your life.” Moises makes a living selling food and drinks to the tourists who visit Dois Rios’s beach They usually arrive from Abraão—the only sizable village in Ilha Grande on the north coast—taking a two-hour hike on a dirt road that serves as Dois Rios’s only land connection As he holds a metal cup from which he sips chimarrão—a hot bitter infusion that is southern Brazil’s answer to Argentinian yerba mate—Moises concedes that young people wouldn’t find Dois Rios exciting and he uses a yellow two-way radio to reach his supplier The reason why Dois Rios feels like a ghost town, but one that hasn’t quite died yet, lies in an imposing white building at the end of town, opposite the start of the dirt road to Abrãao. This place, which now houses a small museum is what remains of one of Brazil’s most significant prisons most recently known as the Instituto Penal Candido Mendes Its walls keep Dois Rios’s darkest secrets most of present-day Dois Rios was covered by coffee and sugarcane fields where enslaved Africans were forced to work More than four million enslaved people were taken to Brazil as part of the slave trade and thousands were landed in Dois Rios and the rest of Ilha Grande 5,000 enslaved people worked on one farm on the island and slavery was widespread even among small landowners many enslaved workers were diagnosed with fractures and illnesses connected to the brutal conditions as Brazil prepared to abolish slavery in 1888 and 10 years later decided it would be an ideal place for a prison the concept of the prison island was very strong in the West,” says Gelsom Rozentino an associate professor at Rio de Janeiro State University who runs the Dois Rios museum Some of the world’s most famous prison islands were set up in the second half of the 19th century including Alcatraz (which became a military prison in 1868) Governments liked islands because they promised remoteness getting from Dois Rios to Rio de Janeiro means embarking on a two-hour steep and muddy hike to Abraão “It meant perfect isolation for the individuals that were considered dangerous for society,” Rozentino says Authorities built Dois Rios as a “prison town” where virtually every activity revolved around the prison and its hierarchy Houses were assigned according to the officials’ pecking order with the largest ones closer to the beach reserved for high-ranking officials An austere order still governs the village today Even the palm trees and mangroves form meticulously straight lines the prison was planned as a “correctional colony”—a place where people with criminal convictions and political prisoners would be “scientifically” reformed through labor it soon became a place of unspeakable suffering Behind the 20-foot-high wall and the watchtowers the incarcerated were treated as “subhuman,” says Rozentino a guard allegedly got away with hitting a prisoner with a machete then shooting him in the foot three times as he ran for help “People don’t come here to correct themselves,” wrote Graciliano Ramos an acclaimed author and leftist politician who was kept here in 1936 When word of prisoners’ conditions reached the continent newspapers referred to the place as “a Ilha da Maldição”—the Isle of Damnation much of the life of the community outside the prison walls came to depend on prison labor Incarcerated workers baked fresh bread for the whole island This is perhaps one of the reasons why Dois Rios became a village of paradox but civilians remember the place as pleasant and well-run “It was a great place to live,” says Shirleno Olivera a private security supervisor in Rio de Janeiro who grew up in Dois Rios “Everything was clean and looked after much of the suffering would have been invisible Dois Rios housed political prisoners whom Brazil perceived as dangerous Some incarcerated people were even allowed to live outside the jail with their families The children of prisoners “spent time with us we played ball together,” Olivera says many well-known prisoners did time in Dois Rios Graciliano Ramos was jailed without a trial and wrote about his suffering in Memories From Incarceration the son of formerly enslaved parents who became a hustler and flamboyant drag performer—hence his nickname Madame Satã (Madam Satan)—remains an icon for the marginalized After Dois Rios became a maximum-security prison in the 1960s and 1970s Willians “the Professor” da Silva Lima and Eucanã de Azevedo associated here in 1979 They set up what would become Brazil’s most notorious armed gang which still controls large parts of Rio de Janeiro But eventually the deterioration of the building and the rise of prisoner’s organizations—which planned hunger strikes and riots—led the authorities to progressively abandon the prison much of the complex was demolished through a series of blasts One former resident of the town described the detonations as a huge blow as though “an atomic bomb exploded in my heart.” and prisoners’ homes fell into disrepair Because much of the island had become a state park “Residents had to walk 10 kilometers [to Abraão] to buy groceries and children did the same to go to school,” says Ede Quézia a current resident and the daughter of the prison’s former head of security About half of Dois Rios’s population is thought to have left in the mid-1990s Rio de Janeiro State University threw the community a lifeline It set up a research center on the island and turned what remained of the prison into a museum (Quézia also works here.) It looks after the streets and runs a twice-daily shuttle to the nearest school in Abraão It has stopped the deterioration of the town and allows its residents to carry on with the quiet lives they like Tourism is growing across Ilha Grande: Abraão has seen a boom in visitors and has become a pricey But the windfall hasn’t reached Dois Rios Original businesses are allowed to stay open or pousadas—family-run inns that are typical in Brazil and Portugal—are not allowed “There is nothing that can be bought or sold,” says Rozentino Almost all of the locals are either museum and university workers or retired prison officials who enjoy the quiet Quézia says there is little community to speak of “People are not really for getting together,” she says “It only happens when we’re invited to some museum or university event and even then only a few people go.” She says she likes life among the dazzling beaches and the pristine waterfalls they must make their way to Abrãao or to the closest hospital in Angra dos Reis the Rio de Janeiro security supervisor who grew up here says he feels a deep sadness whenever he visits “It’s very sad to arrive and see it in this state,” he says can understand little of what Dois Rios was—“what it really was,” he says eerie village that the forest is starting to reclaim—a place that is no longer heaven You can join the conversation about this and other stories in the Atlas Obscura Community Forums We depend on ad revenue to craft and curate stories about the world’s hidden wonders Consider supporting our work by becoming a member for as little as $5 a month Follow us on Twitter to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders Like us on Facebook to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders A diamond’s origin is clear at the start of the supply chain when it is issued a certificate under the Kimberley Process but underlined that its output doesn’t fall under western sanctions Russian diamond giant Alrosa holds a 41% stake in Angola’s Catoca operation, which also owns just over half of the Luele mine. The southern African nation’s Endiama Mining SA owns a majority of both the mines and has made management changes to shore up its control according to Chief Executive Officer José Ganga Júnior Leticia Moreinos Schwartz is a renowned cookbook author Recognized as a food personality in the U.S. she frequently appears in network programs including NBC’s Today and CT Live as well as Sara's Weeknight Meals on PBS She was a TV correspondent during the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio and served as the spokesperson for a healthy living campaign with Merck her work has been featured in publications like The New York Times The Washington Post and several food magazines Fairfield University; Degree in Culinary Arts and Pastry Arts (Bloomberg) – Angola quit OPEC because its quota limits hindered the country’s plans to stabilize crude production above 1 MMbpd according to the country’s top oil official The African nation’s December exit from OPEC came after the group imposed a much lower production limit which is making efforts to boost investment after many years of underinvestment and production decline “This organization no longer aligns with Angola’s values and interests,” Mineral Resources Minister Diamantino Azevedo said in a speech in Luanda on Wednesday After the imposition against the country’s wishes of “production quotas challenging our actual capabilities and needs we made the formal decision to withdraw our country.” Angola’s briefly dipped below 1 MMbpd last year down from more than 1.8 MMbpd a decade earlier Its national petroleum agency has launched investor roadshows and offered a series of licensing rounds to auction off blocks The oil ministry is committed to promoting investments that will maintain production above 1 MMbpd Angola’s decision to exit the group will prove beneficial if it means the country can sustain activity in its oil industry an advisory firm focusing on analysis of African economies “If Angola’s investment plans materialize and financing is assured the country’s departure from OPEC will leave it in better stead,” he said “The government desperately needs higher oil revenues to resolve fiscal pressures and buffer its depreciating local currency.” Cracks in Angola’s 16-year membership in OPEC first started to show in June when officials from the country abruptly exited a meeting of the group in Vienna after African members were put under pressure to reduce their quotas After the country’s production limit was slashed to 1.11 MMbpd at the group’s November gathering Angola’s current government is more aligned with the US and western oil companies which is dominated by Russia and Saudi Arabia the second increase in a year in a country where residents have long been grappling with increasing living costs The announcement late Sunday came three weeks after the International Monetary Fund said that the oil-producing southwest African nation should do more to eliminate fuel subsidies that cost about $3 billion in 2024 That’s about the same as the government spent on health and education last year according to the country’s 2025 budget.  While the removal of the subsidies will enable the government to increase spending on other sectors it’s also likely to bolster transport costs in a country where the World Bank estimates more than half the population of 37 million live on less than $2 a day A similar decision to cut gasoline subsidies in 2023 triggered violent protests in the central Angolan city of Huambo where clashes between taxi drivers and the police left five people dead “We’re not happy with the increase in fuel prices,” said Sabino Vieira da Silva president of Angola’s truck-drivers association “We’ve warned the government about the potential consequences of the fuel price increase,” he said adding that his members will meet April 11 to decide an official position on the matter Angolan Minister of State for Economic Coordination Jose de Lima Massano said in January that his government remains committed to removing fuel subsidies although it doesn’t intend to scrap them altogether this year to avoid “unnecessary hardship.”  Diesel prices increased to 300 kwanza ($0.33) per liter from 200 kwanza as of 1 a.m the regulator for petroleum derivatives said in a statement The last time Angola boosted diesel prices was in April 2024 when the price of a liter rose to 200 kwanzas from 140 kwanzas Angolan inflation has been above 10 percent for the past decade reaching a peak of 42.8 percent in June 2024 BusinessAngola Is ‘Very Happy’ With Holdings in Portuguese Firms Galp and BCP, Minister SaysBy Henrique Almeida and Candido MendesPublished: July 17, 2024 at 5:57AM EDT (Bloomberg) -- Angola plans to remain an investor in Portuguese lender Banco Comercial Portugues SA and oil company Galp Energia SGPS SA, while it sells other assets to bolster its finances. “We’re very happy with what we have at this point,” Jose de Lima Massano, Angola’s minister of state for economic coordination, said in an interview on Tuesday. He called the relationship with Lisbon-based Galp and BCP “very positive.” Angolan state-owned oil company Sonangol is the second-biggest shareholder in BCP with a 19.5% stake. It also holds an indirect stake in Galp through the Amorim Energia venture, which owns 36% of the Portuguese oil firm. The southwest African nation is carrying out a massive privatization program in a bid to attract investment and reduce the role of the state in the economy. Sonangol Chairman Sebastiao Martins signaled in February that the Angolan company was facing a “lot of pressure” to sell its stake in BCP. Shares of BCP and Galp have each risen more than 40% this year. The Angolan state has sold 108 companies out of almost 200 assets earmarked for privatization, but it continues to make sense for Sonangol to retain the BCP and Galp stakes, Massano said. “These are investments that aim to maintain a balanced portfolio,” he said. “We don’t see any need or urgency to follow a different path.” (Bloomberg) – Exxon Mobil Corp. could invest $15 billion through 2030 if it makes commercial oil discoveries in the Namibe Basin, Paulino Jeronimo, chairman for the Angola National Agency for Petroleum, Gas and Biofuels, said in Luanda. ANPG, Exxon and state-owned Sonangol signed an addendum to blocks 30, 44, and 45 in the Namibe Basin to make exploration in the area more competitive. Exxon will pursue a potential exploration well in 2024 as a result of improved fiscal terms. The move is part of an effort by the Angolan government to attract investment into the oil sector, which accounts for more than 90% of the country’s exports, even as it privatizes state-owned enterprises in a bid to diversify the economy. The Namibe Basin’s oil fields are relatively unexplored and pose technical challenges. “We plan to leverage our advanced technology, project execution capabilities, and commitment to safety and environmental performance to identify new commercial discoveries in the Namibe Basin,” said Melissa Bond, Exxon’s country manager. 2024 at 11:49 AM EDTBookmarkSaveA senior Angolan judge said the low number of money laundering cases brought to trial show the country isn’t doing enough to fight the crime president of the Criminal Chamber at the Supreme Court told Luanda’s RNA Radio that the country’s courts prosecuted fewer than 10 money laundering cases over four years InvestingAngola’s New Bonds Rally as Traders Assess Deal With JPMorganBy Candido Mendes and Colleen GokoPublished: January 03, 2025 at 9:27AM EST (Bloomberg) -- Angola’s international bonds outperformed most of their emerging-market peers on Friday as investors reacted to the nation’s latest borrowing to address budget gaps and looming bond maturities. The $1.2 billion of 2030 bonds, sold on Dec. 27, rose above their listing price as of 2 p.m. London time, while Angola’s other eurobonds posted some of the biggest gains in the Bloomberg EM Sovereign Total Return Index. The yield on the note due November 2049 fell 13 basis points to 11.35%, their lowest level in two weeks. The new bonds, carrying a coupon of 10.95%, were privately placed under Angola’s Global Medium Term Note Programme, according to an official document seen by Bloomberg. The deal, structured as a total-return swap financing transaction, points to the nation’s intricate efforts to manage one of sub-Saharan Africa’s largest debt burdens. Angola will transfer the notes with full legal title to J.P. Morgan Securities Plc in exchange for $600 million in financing.  “This looks like overcollateralised borrowing by the authorities with a contingent liability,” said Samir Gadio, head of Africa strategy at Standard Chartered Bank. “Given the structure of the 2030 notes, they may not trade actively in the market other than on a potential recovery metric,” he said. Angola owes $864 million on a bond maturing in November, while external debt accounts for about 70% of its gross domestic product, according to S&P Global. Moody’s Ratings grades the nation at B3, and S&P assigns it a B-. The nation is attempting to diversify its borrowing strategies. Angola signed a pact with Oman to plan sovereign debt issuance in the Gulf Cooperation Council region and is reviewing a proposal from The Nature Conservancy for an environmental bond aimed at reducing its debt burden. African nations including Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Senegal, Benin, South Africa and Kenya, returned to global markets in 2024 after being sidelined by rising borrowing costs for over two years. A London-based spokesperson at JPMorgan declined to comment. Angola’s finance ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment. --With assistance from Mpho Hlakudi, Selcuk Gokoluk and Monique Vanek. (Bloomberg) --Angolan lawmakers revoked a ban on exploration for crude and natural gas in protected natural reserves including the Kassanje Basin and the wildlife-rich Okavango River Basin Prospecting will be allowed in 5% of protected zones and “possibly” only 3% will be drilled Mineral Resources Minister Diamantino Azevedo said “What we’re doing is not unheard of,” he said Norway and Gabon as examples of countries exploring for oil in protected zones Oil revenues will benefit local communities and the parks themselves The move may breach international agreements because Angola receives donor funding to protect the sites according to Luanda-based environmental activist Eufrazina Paiva Angola will respect its commitments to protect habitats State Secretary for Social Communication Nuno Caldas Albino said The change is still to be signed into law by President Joao Lourenco 10 opened a “limited” public tender for a domestic company to carry out studies on the environmental impact restoration and restocking of the eastern and western parts of the Etosha and Okavango Basin according to an announcement on its website Oil storage silos at the Sonangol Luanda Refinery in Luanda “We are taking the steps that are needed, at least internally, for this process to begin,” Chief Executive Officer Sebastiao Martins said at a press conference in Luanda, the capital, on Tuesday. “What we don’t want is for external pressures to push us into making mistakes.” 2023 at 8:37 AM EDTBookmarkSaveLock This article is for subscribers only.Five people died after violent protests erupted in Angola’s central city of Huambo and taxi drivers clashed with police following a government decision to cut gasoline subsidies Authorities arrested 34 people demonstrating in the city Huambo police said the deaths couldn’t be avoided because of the acts of violence carried out by the protesters 2022 at 7:53 AM EDTBookmarkSaveLock This article is for subscribers only.Angola’s kwanza is rallying because of an improving outlook for the economy of Africa’s second-biggest oil producer and the liberalization of its foreign-exchange regime “We have been witnessing an increase in confidence in the currency generating considerable gains for the kwanza,” Jose de Lima Massano said Wednesday in an emailed response to questions the balance of payments shows surpluses and we are beginning to see a gradual reduction in the monthly rate of inflation.” Angola is weighing the benefits of accessing international capital markets against the risk of increasing its debt burden “International markets are once again open to countries with characteristics similar to Angola and Angola could issue Eurobonds at any time,” said Ottoniel dos Santos Angola’s secretary for finance and treasury An employee fuels a car at a gas station in Cabinda 2023 at 1:50 PM EDTBookmarkSaveLock This article is for subscribers only.Angola reduced its gasoline subsidy almost doubling pump prices in a nation that has some of the world’s cheapest fuel The decision comes the same week that Nigeria Nigeria is seeking to rein in expenditure as its economy languishes Angola’s central bank unexpectedly increased its benchmark interest rate to a record highBloomberg Terminal to curb inflation Adalberto Costa Junior casts his ballot at a polling station in Luanda on Aug. 24.  2022 at 3:35 PM EDTBookmarkSaveLock This article is for subscribers only.Angola’s main opposition party refused to concede victory to the ruling party in this week’s election alleging the process was marred by counting irregularities the leader of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola known as Unita said the party’s own polling-station records showed “brutal” discrepancies between the mandates it received by the national electoral commission and those it should have been assigned He spoke about Unita’s parallel system created to scrutinize the vote count in a press conference 2023 at 11:34 AM ESTUpdated on January 20 2023 at 1:09 PM ESTBookmarkSaveLock This article is for subscribers only.Angola’s central bank carried out the world’s biggest interest rate cut so far this year as it forecasts inflation to slow further The policy committee dropped the rate to 18% from 19.5%, Governor Jose de Lima Massano told reporters Friday in Luanda, the capital. That’s the steepestBloomberg Terminal cut since July 2018. 2022 at 4:30 AM EDTBookmarkSaveLock This article is for subscribers only.Angolan President Joao Lourenco was declared the winner of the country’s closest election since the end of a civil war two decades ago defeating opposition leader Adalberto Costa Junior During Lourenco’s first term the southwest African nation recovered from a five-year recession that worsened unemployment and poverty Photographer: Issouf Sanogo/AFP via Getty Imageas 2018 at 9:29 AM EDTBookmarkSaveLock This article is for subscribers only.Angola’s state prosecutor plans to charge the son of former President Jose Eduardo dos Santos with fraud for allegedly transferring $500 million from the country’s central bank to the London branch of a Swiss bank the former head of Angola’s sovereign wealth fund had his passport seized and has been forbidden from leaving the country the deputy state prosecutor and head of the National Directorate for Criminal Investigation Silvia Ramos receives funding from the Ford Foundation and Open Society Foundations View all partners On June 30, a baby was shot in his mother’s belly in Rio de Janeiro. After the rifle fire hit 29-year-old Claudinéia in the hip in the Favela do Lixão neighbourhood her son Arthur was delivered via emergency cesarean section This was just one of 181 shootings that took place in Rio that June week. A day earlier, Marlene Maria da Conceição, age 72, was shot in the Mangueira favela while picking up her grandson from school was struck when she tried to help her mother Just hours before her death, Ana Cristina had called the violence in her neighbourhood “unbelievable” on social media posting that the “shooting has been going on for nearly three hours.” was killed by shrapnel from a grenade at the entrance to the Pavão-Pavãozinho favela a stone’s throw from Ipanema and Copacabana Even in Brazil, where homicides are all too common It is now impossible not to notice that the city’s Police Pacification Units (UPP) the UPP program stationed some 9,500 officers in some 37 favelas This new model, which included components of successful community policing initiatives in Los Angeles and Medellin sought to end violent confrontations between rival gangs by getting weapons out of the favelas and maintaining a permanent police presence At first, the media and the public loved the program. Rio saw a significant reduction in robberies in UPP-covered areas and a marked decrease in police killings which fell from 1,330 in 2007 to 415 in 2013 Some favela activists and human rights advocates viewed the UPPs as military occupation of low-income neighbourhoods, and predicted that the plan would fail. But the UPPs worked, or seemed to be working, keeping many areas of the city nearly free of shootouts, stray bullets and police killings from 2009 to 2013 This was a significant improvement over prior policing strategies in Rio the Rio police had one mission – to weed out the armed groups that had set up shop in all of the city’s 700 favelas – and one method to do it with – firepower gangs had essentially established territorial control over 1.5 Rio million residents Criminal groups such as the Red Command and The Third Command monopolised not only the drug trade in these areas but also other lucrative activities such as cooking-fuel sales and alternative public transport patrolled the streets and alleyways of Rio’s favelas In 1995, the Rio de Janeiro state government hired an army general to try to control crime in the metropolitan region, and the city launched a series of public security policies meant to aggressively confront gangs in some of the city’s poorest neighbourhoods, not with investigation or intelligence but with guns Rather than fix the problem, research shows that these programs were largely responsible for more firmly rooting gangs in these places Based on studies done by the Centre for Studies on Public Security and Citizenship at Brazil’s Candido Mendes University police officers in favelas have gradually reduced the practice of community policing and become more repressive The program’s decline happened gradually but, in retrospect, the 2013 disappearance of bricklayer Amarildo de Souza while in UPP custody in Rocinha the largest favela in Rio’s wealthy south side Tension between the police and residents rose across the city, but the police did not respond by updating program’s strategies, investing in training or renewing the force’s commitment to keep community policing at the heart of the UPPs armed gangs had returned to once-pacified favelas such as Morro do Borel in swanky Tijuca Morro dos Prazeres in bohemian Santa Teresa and Favela Tabajaras in upscale Copacabana Any remaining vestiges of the mirage of safety crumbled once the Olympics ended, with skirmishes erupting between rival factions or Rio’s gangs – a “signal” for the groups to again take up heavy weaponry The military police find themselves cornered in the favelas The force’s historic disregard for intelligence has come back to haunt it young captains are forced to rely on their intuition to deal with the encroaching gangs choosing between either daily shootouts or a hostile coexistence between gangs and police At least 480 Rio de Janeiro citizens were killed by police in the first five months of this year alone The animation below by Amnesty International’s Fogo Cruzado (Crossfire) app documents all the gunfire in Rio from January to June 2017 – an average of 14 incidents daily The license to kill any favela resident perceived to be a criminal has given way to summary executions, which last year represented some 20% of all deaths in the state of Rio de Janeiro Cops also kidnap suspects, take bribes to overlook crimes and negotiate to save the lives of criminals, exacerbating violence In fairness, things aren’t great for the police right now. Brazil is immersed in a profound economic crisis The force can’t even afford to fill its police cruisers with gas Operating in dangerous neighbourhoods with little support or guidance from their commanders UPP officers have reverted to the bad old days of excessive force and full-blown corruption The gangs, meanwhile, are following suit: they’re heavily armed, ambitious and bellicose. From January to June 2017, 81 Rio officers were killed (15 while on duty) Rio de Janeiro’s police kill and die more than any other Brazilian police force Amid these hellish conditions, young people in the favelas are starting to speak out. Increasingly, they’re greeted by press coverage and a large audience on social media People know what needs to happen first: the police must stop shooting to dismantle not just the gangs but also the gang mentality burgeoning among Rio’s police The answer is not new, but it is globally tried and true: to reduce violence Photographer: Alexander Nemenov/AFP/Getty Images The sale of the country’s fourth telecommunications license could have been another step to increase competition and shake up the business environment Lourenco inherited from his predecessor, Jose Eduardo dos Santos, who left his family and allies in control of swathes of the economy when he stepped down. 2016 at 5:02 AM EDTBookmarkSaveLock This article is for subscribers only.Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos appointed his daughter and Africa’s richest woman tightening his family’s control over sub-Saharan Africa’s third-biggest economy fired Sonangol’s entire board and replaced it with new executives as part of a plan to restructure the business so it runs more efficiently he said in an e-mailed statement on Thursday Paulino Fernando de Carvalho Geronimo was appointed chief executive officer Angola vies with Nigeria as Africa’s biggest oil producer and also produces diamonds The city skyline and promenade illuminated in Luanda 2017 at 9:38 AM EDTBookmarkSaveLock This article is for subscribers only.Angola is in talks with banks to raise $2 billion via a Eurobond in what would be the OPEC member’s biggest debt sale on global capital markets The government has yet to choose banks to lead the deal and media reports that Russia’s VTB Bank PJSC has the mandate are false the Finance Ministry said in an emailed statement The Eurobond issuance was approved by a presidential order on Aug 4 and will help Angola lengthen its maturities as well as make it easier for other borrowers from the country tap the market (Bloomberg) — Angola’s oil minister accused neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo’s government of wrecking an agreement to jointly develop offshore oilfields after it failed to respect the terms of the deal Congo failed to honor a January 2015 accord between Angolan state-owned oil company Sonangol and Congo’s Cohydro on crude prospecting in a so-called common-interest zone Petroleum Minister Maria Botelho de Vasconcelos said April 17 in an interview in Luanda The collapse is the latest setback in a long-standing disagreement between Congo and Angola over their maritime borders and access to the area’s lucrative offshore oil blocks the decisions were not taken forward,” Vasconcelos said but then we hear Congolese officials going back on their word.” Congo pumps about 25,000 barrels of oil per day and wants to expand output by asserting its rights to Angolan production that it says falls within its own offshore area It has officially claimed a proportion of the oil pumped from four Angolan blocks since 2003 The two governments signed a cooperation agreement in 2007 to create a common interest zone — a maritime corridor between the two countries in which they would jointly explore for hydrocarbons — but struggled to make further progress The breakdown in relations comes at a difficult time for President Joseph Kabila whom opposition parties accuse of trying to delay presidential elections scheduled for November when he seized power in 1997 and Congo has remained dependent on political and security support from Angola since then a factor that has always complicated the oil negotiations former Oil Minister Crispin Atama said the two countries would begin talks on a production-sharing agreement for the common-interest zone and could start production from the shared block within 36 months Details of the resulting 2015 commercial agreement with Sonangol were never made public in Congo despite a May 2011 decree by Congo’s government requiring that contracts for any cession or rental of the state’s natural resources be published within 60 days of execution Angola’s oil minister said they had established a “clearly defined joint development corridor that was accepted by all parties.” Congolese Oil Minister Aime Ngoy Mukena was not available when Bloomberg made four requests to his office for comment Angola will now await a ruling from the United Nations on its December 2013 request to recognize the extension of its sovereign rights beyond the 200 nautical-mile (370-kilometer) limit currently recorded as its exclusive economic zone The country is open to further negotiations Congo has already opposed Angola’s request in two letters to the UN in April 2014 and September 2015 documents on the website of the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf show Congo said Angola was “unilaterally ignoring” its rights to exercise control over its own territorial sea and called on the UN to prohibit consideration of Angola’s submission until the two countries settled their border dispute which has a 31 percent interest in a production-sharing contract for block 14 part of which is within the proposed common zone didn’t respond to an e-mailed request for comment Statoil ASA and ENI SpA also have stakes in the blocks that are part claimed by Congo which vies with Nigeria to be Africa’s biggest oil producer produced an average of 1.8 million barrels per day in March Sign up for gCaptain’s newsletter and never miss an update and updates delivered daily straight to your inbox May 4 (Reuters) – An international NGO accused Malta on Sunday of impeding access to a Gaza-bound humanitarian aid ship which it says was bombed by two drones two days.. May 2 (Reuters) – A ship carrying humanitarian aid and activists for Gaza was bombed by drones in international waters off Malta early on Friday Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned Iran on Wednesday that it will face consequences for supporting the Houthis even as the United States has relaunched talks with Iran over its nuclear program Subscribe to gCaptain Daily and stay informed with the latest global maritime and offshore news Stay informed with the latest maritime and offshore news For general inquiries and to contact us,please email: [email protected] To submit a story idea or contact our editors, please email: [email protected] For advertising opportunities contactEmail: [email protected]Phone: +1.805.704.2536 Essential news coupled with the finest maritime content sourced from across the globe “Na medida do impossível” é um monologo que se passa durante uma madrugada de insônia de uma mulher contemporânea iniciado anos antes do começo da pandemia além de seus medos e dificuldades no convívio social O ponto de partida do monólogo “Na medida do impossível” leva à cena uma discussão bem-humorada sobre saúde mental solidão e os medos que enfrentamos diante de uma vida que recomeça a história se passa justamente durante uma madrugada quando conhecemos os pensamentos dessa mulher exilada dentro da própria casa ela imagina conversar com um amigo que morreu muito jovem a autora e atriz Luciana Fregolente volta aos palcos depois de 10 anos na pele de uma tradutora de livros que expõe sua crescente dificuldade em se conectar com o ser humano Luciana Fregolente escreveu a peça nas madrugadas de uma semana  “Criei uma mulher que vive sua própria pandemia não sai mais de casa por causa de uma síndrome do pânico ela começa a contar para um amigo já morto o que mudou nas últimas décadas tanto na sua vida quanto no mundo” “Ela explica desde o que são os millenials e o Uber até o quanto ela engordou Victor Garcia Peralta e Luciana Fregolente foram parceiros de trabalho na comédia “Alucinadas” foi adaptada para um programa no Multishow O diretor foi o primeiro a ler “Na medida do impossível” e conta que “Eu admiro a forma como a Luciana trata um assunto como o pânico com leveza e humor mas sem tirar a profundidade que o assunto requer ninguém escapou das sequelas emocionais e é preciso falar disso urgentemente” a gente consegue expor nossas dores com mais facilidade então é muito importante discutir saúde mental Acho essencial que as pessoas tirem suas neuroses do armário O teatro é um ótimo meio para a gente refletir sobre esse tema principalmente na comédia que nos deixa mais à vontade para trazer à tona o que nos machuca de verdade” Open in Spotify Aqui você encontra dicas culturais na cidade do Rio de Janeiro Entre em contato através do contato@rotacult.com.br INSCMagazine As medium-sized companies in the United States increasingly turn their gaze towards international markets they are encountering a distinctive array of challenges Recent statistics indicate that more than half of these companies are actively considering or already in the process of expanding globally they often grapple with the complexities of foreign regulations Given that international trade accounts for nearly a third of the U.S the importance of these firms successfully navigating global markets cannot be overstated In the midst of these challenges, Bernardo Mendes Ribeiro’s decision to launch a consultancy in the U.S His deep understanding of the nuances of global commerce particularly in the vibrant markets of Latin America Ribeiro’s consultancy aims to provide customized services assisting American mid-sized businesses in surmounting the obstacles of global expansion and securing a foothold in international markets Ribeiro’s journey began with a law degree from Universidade Candido Mendes in 2015 quickly advancing to a leadership position in Uchôa Ribeiro Advogados a family-run law firm with over four decades of history assuming key roles such as head of advisory and chief legal counsel His recent projects include guiding legal strategies for investments and fundraising endeavors totaling over R$ 300 million for small and medium enterprises Ribeiro’s entrepreneurial pursuits started in his early twenties marking the beginning of his business ventures a unique motorcycle parking solution in downtown Rio de Janeiro addressing the city’s transportation challenges This was followed by the establishment of Studio Personal Academy in 2017 a trailblazing fitness studio introducing the muscle electrostimulation technology EMS to Brazil’s busy professionals The primary focus of Ribeiro’s new U.S.-based consultancy is to facilitate commerce between American and Latin American businesses The firm aims to assist Latin American companies in expanding into the U.S it will offer advisory services to American companies seeking entry or already operating in the Latin American market Ribeiro’s firm intends to guide both corporate and individual investors interested in the U.S His comprehensive knowledge and expertise in dealing with bureaucratic and legal matters will be crucial for these investors Ribeiro envisions his consultancy as more than just a business advisory service; he sees it as a catalyst for international commerce The firm is set to ease the process for external investors in the U.S and support foreign companies in making lucrative investments within the country Bernardo Mendes Ribeiro’s establishment of his consultancy in the U.S His firm is poised to be more than a consultancy; it’s envisioned as a linchpin in fostering business ties between the U.S the economic relationship between these regions stands on the cusp of a new era of growth and collaborative success This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. 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