Month: July 2023

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||Kharas business community not happy with awarding of tenders

Finance and Public Enterprises Minister, Iipumbu Shiimi, urged the ||Kharas business community to report any nepotism and any process favouring certain individuals when it comes to awarding of tenders.

Shiimi made the call during an engagement meeting between the ||Kharas Region business community and the minister and his delegation here after participants at the meeting alleged that there are certain individuals that are earmark for tenders in the region.

“The law is very clear that tenders should be given to the most responsive bidder, people in public offices managing tenders should ensure tenders are given to those that can deliver so we do not end up with unfinished projects as we currently have. They should know that they are not there to give tenders to their friends and if that happens and you have proof of such activities, that is a violation of the law and you can report to our ministry,” he said.

One of the participants Sherline Jossob alleged that only certain individuals are given tenders at Keetmanshoop urging that a database be established to ensure that all SMEs benefit from tenders as the current system does not work and only certain individuals benefit.

“Here in Keetmanshoop we are killing one another as tenders especially catering tenders are given to certain individuals, it does not matter if you are in good standing with [the finance ministry], you will not get it, it’s like the tenders are earmarked for some people, let us fix the system, let us create a database to ensure that not only some people get the tenders,” she stressed.

Another participant Otto Apollus said: “Tenders are given to people that are not capable of doing them and finishing them for that matter, you need to know how to do the job before you even apply for the tender, if you don’t know do not apply for it, but what is happening now is not right.”

Cyril Pieters added that some of the reasons that hinder small and medium businesses to grow is lack of necessary services in the region to cater for them.

“We don’t have Development Bank of Namibia here, not even Agribank, if we need services from those entities and others, we need to travel up to Windhoek which is expensive and sometimes you get there with the wrong paperwork, we need these entities closer to us, it not about us getting the money fast, it is getting the services and if that is addressed, we will be able to do business easier, the system is the one that makes us to be behind,” he said.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

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President Geingob hospitalised

The Presidency has announced that President Hage Geingob was admitted to a hospital in Windhoek on Thursday for a follow-up procedure.

This follows the aortic valve procedure the Head of State underwent on 08 June 2023 in South Africa.

“The president is in good spirits and will be discharged on Friday, 28 July,” the Presidency said.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

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Minor raped by teenager at Omusati

A 16-year-old boy was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly violently raping a six-year-old girl at Uukwanampembe village in the Omusati Region’s Tsandi Constituency.

According to the Namibian Police Force’s Omusati Commander, Commissioner Ishmael Basson on Thursday, the incident allegedly occurred on Wednesday night.

Basson said this comes hours after a 51-year-old man was arrested at Eendombe village, also in the Omusati Region, for the alleged rape of his 16-year-old biological daughter.

Police investigations in both matters continue.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

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NBL, Nafau sign wage agreement

Namibia Breweries Limited (NBL) and the Namibia Food and Allied Workers Union (Nafau) on Thursday signed a substantive wage agreement for the 2024 financial year.

In a media statement issued on Thursday, NBL’s Corporate Affairs Manager, Surihe Gaomas-Guchu, said as a part of the new agreement, an overall increase of 7.5 per cent will be effected on the basic salaries of NBL employees.

“The agreement is for all bargaining unit employees and applicable for the period 01 July 2023 to 30 June 2024 and 01 April 2023 to 30 June 2024 respectively. The company will continue with the current incentive scheme that will enable employees in the bargaining unit to earn an additional bonus equal to a monthly salary during the financial year,” Gaomas-Guchu said.

Signing the agreement, NAFAU’s Regional Coordinator, Simon Muukapo, expressed appreciation to the NBL negotiation team for adopting a transparent approach to finalising negotiations that ensured the workers in the bargaining unit receive their salaries on time.

“My gratitude goes out to all parties involved in the process, which has resulted in all bargaining unit employees of NBL receiving their increases with this month-end payroll. I therefore would like to wholeheartedly thank the negotiation team from the union and the business, for the mutually beneficial consensus reached for the interest of our employees and the company,” he said.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

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Nandi-Ndaitwah addresses geopolitical instability in Russia

Swapo Party vice-president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah on Thursday said one of the key aspects of addressing international security in the face of geopolitical instability is inter-party cooperation.

Speaking at the ‘International Security in the Context of Geopolitical Instability, Inter-Party Cooperation’ roundtable during the Africa-Russia Summit, Nandi-Ndaitwah stated that this is because parties are political institutions that are closer to the people and can appreciate their aspirations.

“Geopolitical instability can be due to many factors, including territorial disputes, ideological differences, resources competition, and the proliferation of weapons for mass destruction,” Nandi-Ndaitwah said in her statement availed to Nampa on Thursday.

The Swapo vice-president said geopolitical instability is complex and multifaceted as it relates to international peace and security, hence it requires careful analysis and consideration and that among others, geopolitical instability influences the balance of power between nation-states leading to uncertainty, tensions, and conflict.

International organisations like the United Nations, regional security mechanisms, and bilateral alliances are established to play a crucial role in facilitating and strengthening cooperation, resolving disputes, and preventing conflicts, Nandi-Ndaitwah said.

Furthermore, while inter-party cooperation is crucial, it is not a panacea for all security challenges and as noted, some issues may be deep-rooted in historical, culture, or ideological differences, making consensus more difficult to reach, she said.

“International security in the face of geopolitical instability requires robust inter-party cooperation. By working together, nations can address common security challenges, establish norms and institutions, and promote peace and stability for global sustainable development to be realised,” Nandi-Ndaitwah said.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

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Wistar-Led Team Awarded More Than $12 Million Grant from the NCI to Investigate Link Between Epstein-Barr Virus and Carcinomas

PHILADELPHIA, PA, July 26, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — It’s been known since the 1960s that Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) causes a variety of cancers, but research has overwhelmingly focused on its connection to lymphomas. Now, a multidisciplinary team of scientists led by The Wistar Institute has been awarded a more than $12 million National Cancer Institute (NCI) Program Project Grant (P01), a highly competitive five-year grant that includes a crosssection of researchers from various disciplines and institutions throughout the country. The multidisciplinary team led by Wistar scientists is exploring the role of Epstein-Barr Virus in epithelial cancers. Epithethelial cells form functional structures in organ tissue throughout the human body; they are often the site for solid organ cancers, including the most common cancers, which are known as carcinomas.

The new research will focus on basic questions about how EBV infection of normal epithelial cells transforms them into cancer-cells. Scientists also intend to build on this research to identify better and more selective therapeutic targets.

“We are investigating unexplored aspects of EBV and malignancies, potentially uncovering unique characteristics or pathways that can be targeted for therapeutic intervention,” said Italo Tempera, Ph.D., associate professor of the Gene Expression & Regulation Program of the Ellen and Ronald Caplan Cancer Center at The Wistar Institute. “This fresh perspective could lead to groundbreaking discoveries and innovative treatment strategies for EBV and epithelial malignancies.”

The project brings together scientists from The Wistar Institute and Harvard University, including experts in epigenetics, metabolomics and drug discovery. It’s the first time researchers from this variety of disciplines have combined their efforts to focus entirely on the EBV-epithelial cancer link.

“We’ve put together a new strategy, a new way of attacking the problem,” said Paul Lieberman, Ph.D., Hilary Koprowski, M.D., Endowed Professor and director of the Center for Chemical Biology and Translational Medicine at Wistar. “By working together across different modalities, there’s an opportunity for each of us to learn from the synergy and expertise of the other investigators.”

EBV is one of the most common human viruses, infecting an estimated 95% of people by the time they reach adulthood. Symptoms are usually mild, and most people recover within a few weeks. However, the virus can remain latent in the human body for years or even decades, and it causes some people to develop cancer later in life.

While research has historically focused on lymphomas, EBV-linked epithelial cancers are both more common and more deadly. Epithelial cancers represent 75% of the 200,000 EBV-related cancer cases diagnosed each year, and these cancers also have higher mortality rates and treatment failures.

“This grant put together a team that is now focused on this type of cancer that has been neglected, even though it’s the most common form of EBV cancers,” Lieberman said. The grant will fund three main research projects. The first will look at how EBV establishes a long-term infection within epithelial cells. The second will study how it causes genetic and metabolic changes to trigger cancer growth. Finally, researchers will use these findings to investigate new therapeutic strategies.

The research builds on past work by Lieberman’s lab, which has focused on developing small molecule inhibitors targeting EBV. He said the new project would focus on studying drugs that are already in development, and looking for ways to make them more targeted or use them in combination with other therapies.

Tempera said the group’s integrated approach sets it apart.“Our project will study both metabolic and epigenetic vulnerabilities simultaneously,” he said. “Combining these two aspects can provide a comprehensive understanding of the role of EBV infection in cancer and its underlying mechanisms, leading to unique insights and therapeutic opportunities.”

Co-authors: Ben Gewurz of Harvard; Joseph Salvino, Samantha Soldan, Andrew Kossenkov, Louise Showe, and Qin Liu of Wistar.

Darien Sutton
The Wistar Institute
215-870-2048
[email protected]

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