Sierra Leone: Power restored after paying $18 million electricity bill; Energy Minister quits took responsibility for crisis

FREETOWN, April 28 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Electricity supplies have been restored to Sierra Leone following weeks of power cuts, after it paid off part of the $48m bill it owed to a Turkish company. The $18m payment came as the country’s energy minister resigned, saying he took full responsibility for the crisis.…

Thousands of sub-Saharan migrants wait in Tunisia before making Europe trip

TUNIS, April 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Thousands of sub-Saharan migrants have huddled in Tunisian olive groves for months, living in makeshift tents and surviving on meagre rations while keeping their hopes alive of reaching Europe. Around 20,000 are in isolated areas near the towns of El Amra and Jebeniana, some 30 and…

Brazil: Violence against journalists on the rise in Amazon region

BRASILIA, April 27 (NNN-AGENCIA BRASIL) — Brazil’s National Federation of Journalists (Fenaj) found that there have been 230 cases of violence against press freedom in the nine states of the Legal Amazon in the last ten years, Agencia Brasil reported. According to a study released this week, the State of…

Colombian Army kills 15 rebels after failing peace talks

BOGOTA, April 27 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — Colombia’s Army this week gunned down 15 rebels from the EMC guerrillas, a dissident group from the old FARC operating in the department of Cauca that refuses to enter peace talks with Bogotá. “War is war,” President Gustavo Petro argued after the latest military update,…

Kenyan Government confirms willingness to send troops to Haiti

NAIROBI, April 27 (NNN-PRENSA LATINA) — The Kenyan Government has reportedly confirmed its willingness to send troops to Haiti following the inauguration of the Transitional Presidential Council in the Caribbean nation. President William Ruto said his country, in coordination with other African and Caribbean countries, is ready and committed to…

Ecuador: 8 killed in helicopter crash

QUITO, April 27 (NNN-XINHUA) — Five soldiers and three civilians were killed in an Ecuadorian army helicopter crash on Friday, the armed forces said. The helicopter, which was carrying humanitarian aid to the people affected by floods, crashed at 9:36 a.m. in the Tiwino district of Pastaza Province, said the…

Update: Scores of tornadoes lash central US plains states

WASHINGTON, April 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Dozens of tornadoes struck the central United States on Friday, razing homes, knocking down power lines and injuring at least three people, authorities said. More than 70 tornadoes were recorded across the country by the National Weather Service (NWS), most of them around Omaha, a…

Nigeria: 3 killed, 2 injured after building under construction collapses in north Kano state

ABUJA, April 27 (NNN-XINHUA) — At least three people were killed and two others injured after a three-storey building under construction collapsed in Nigeria’s northern state of Kano on Friday, authorites said. The incident occurred as construction workers on site resumed the day’s work at Kuntau Quarters of the Gwale…

Brazil: At least 10 killed in hotel fire in southern Porto Alegre

BRASILIA, April 27 (NNN-XINHUA) — At least 10 people were killed and several others injured or missing after a fire broke out early Friday morning at a small hotel in southern Brazil, local authorities said. The fire occurred at the Garoa Floresta hotel in Porto Alegre, the capital city of…

Cuba and Mexico explore possibilities to broaden health ties

MEXICO CITY, April 27 (NNN-ACN) — With a working visit of a delegation from the Cuban Ministry of Public Health (Minsap) to Mexico, both parties are exploring the potential of increasing ties in health.The heads of the sector, Jose Angel Portal, from Cuba, and Jorge Carlos Alcocer, from Mexico, assessed…