Conservative banker Lasso wins presidential run-off in Ecuador

Lasso got to 52.52 per cent of the vote with almost all votes counted QUITO, April 13 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Conservative banker Guillermo Lasso has won Ecuador’s presidential run-off vote.The 65-year-old got to 52.52 per cent of the vote with almost all votes counted, while left-wing candidate Andres Arauz received 47.48…

Libyan parliament reunited after years of division

Fawzi Al-Nuwairi, others in a group photograph TRIPOLI, April 13 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The first Deputy on the House of Representatives (HoR) in Tobruk, Fawzi Al-Nuwairi, has officially taken over the tasks of the HoR headquarters in Tripoli.The HoR confirmed in a brief statement that this step is a new hope…

UN can only lift sanctions when Juba peace deal is fulfilled – Guterres

Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary General UNITED NATIONS, April 13 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The Security Council can only lift the arms embargo on South Sudan when the 2018 peace agreement is fully implemented, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said.In the latest report on benchmarks to assess the arms embargo in South Sudan,…

Chad election: Ruling party says turnout high amid boycott

Ballots are counted after the closing of the voting operations at a roadside voting station NDJAMENA, April 13 (NNN-AGENCIES) — As Chad waits for the results of Sunday’s presidential election, the African Union said the vote was peaceful amid calls for a boycott by the opposition.Incumbent President Idriss Deby is…

Gunmen attack humanitarian facilities in northern Nigeria; 6 dead

ABUJA, April 13 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Gunmen have attacked humanitarian aid facilities and a local hospital in a northern Nigerian town, aid agencies, and community leaders said.Local media reported that at least six people were killed in the attack.Armed men rode into the town of Damasak in Borno state on the…

Somalia MPs extend their mandate and President Mohamed Farmaajo’s term by 2 years

Somalia’s President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Farmaajo MOGADISHU, April 13 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Somalia’s Parliament has extended its mandate and that of President Mohamed Farmaajo by two years, giving the incumbent some respite but creating a potential opposition from the international community and some aspirants.The decision was reached on Monday after an…

Uganda, Tanzania sign major pipeline project agreement

The $3.55 billion pipelines could be the longest electrically heated crude oil pipeline in the world KAMPALA, April 13 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni signed the East African Crude Oil Pipeline project agreement with his Tanzanian counterpart Samia Hassan Suluhu.“The EACOP Tripartite Project Agreement has been signed by all…

DR Congo names new cabinet, cements president’s power

Democratic Republic of Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi KINSHASA, April 13 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Democratic Republic of Congo’s Prime Minister has announced a new cabinet, completing a government overhaul by President Felix Tshisekedi that strengthens his hold on power.The new government is a further blow to Tshisekedi’s predecessor and former coalition partner,…

St Vincent volcano: Power cuts after another ‘explosive event’

 KINGSTOWN, April 13 (NNN-AGENCIES) —There has been another “explosive event” at a volcano on the Caribbean island of St Vincent, with power outages and water supplies cut off. The La Soufrière volcano first erupted on Friday, blanketing the island in a layer of ash and forcing some 16,000 people to evacuate their…

Covid-19: Germany’s infections pass 3 million – official

BERLIN, April 13 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The number of Covid-19 infections in Germany has crossed the three million mark, according to figures published by the Robert Koch Institute disease control centre. The total number of infections now stands at 3,011,513, with 78,452 deaths, the institute said. Germany remains gripped by rising…