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page 34 (corrected) S/SUDAN S/Sudan rebel chief sworn in as Vice President South Sudanese rebel leader Riek Machar was sworn in as first vice president on Tuesday, hours after he returned to the capital of Juba for the first time since conflict erupted more than two years ago. Machar took up the post under the […]

page 34 (corrected)

S/SUDAN

S/Sudan rebel chief sworn in as Vice President

South Sudanese rebel leader Riek Machar was sworn in as first vice president on Tuesday, hours after he returned to the capital of Juba for the first time since conflict erupted more than two years ago.

Machar took up the post under the terms of a peace agreement reached eight months ago, implementation of which had been repeatedly delayed by disputes between Machar and the government of President Salva Kiir.

“Now that Dr. Riek has taken the oath of the first vice president, we will immediately proceed with the establishment of the transitional government of national unity,” Kiir said after Machar was sworn in at the president’s office. “I ask you to join me and my brother Riek Machar in peace and reconciliation.”

Machar was greeted by government officials, members of his SPLM-In-Opposition party, diplomats and officials from the United Nations peacekeeping mission in South Sudan, with the airport under heavy guard.

KENYA

Kenya’s former first lady Lucy Kibaki dies in London

Kenya’s controversial former first lady, Lucy Kibaki, has died in a London hospital of an undisclosed illness.

She gained notoriety for slapping a cameraman in 2005 when she stormed the offices of a private media group in anger at the way a story about her had been reported.

In a tribute to Mrs Kibaki, President Uhuru Kenyatta praised her for her role in fighting HIV/Aids in Kenya.

Mrs Kibaki, who was born in 1940, had withdrawn from public life during the latter part of her husband’s rule.

She was last seen at a public function was in August 2010, when she seemed excited about the adoption of a new constitution, dancing to a famous gospel song.

IRAQ

Iraqi MPs block vote on new cabinet reshuffle

Iraqi MPs disrupted a parliament session on Tuesday, blocking Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi from presenting a new cabinet lineup aimed at fighting corruption as tens of thousands of protesters took over part of central Baghdad to demand a vote.

More than a dozen deputies followed Abadi into the legislative chamber, clapping, slamming their hands on desks and chanting slogans like “invalid” and “treachery” for nearly an hour before the session was adjourned.

Abadi, who has offered two new lineups in the past month, did not get the chance to announce his latest proposal for ministerial candidates which speaker Salim al-Jabouri said he had come to parliament to present.

Water bottles thrown inside the chamber landed near Abadi, a deputy and a political source said, forcing camouflaged guards accompanying the premier to intervene.

Reporters were evacuated from the building after unconfirmed reports that protesters, mostly supporters of powerful Shi’ite Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, had breached the heavily fortified Green Zone housing parliament and foreign embassies.

UNITED STATES

Trump and Clinton set to sweep Northeastern primaries

Donald Trump is seeking to win all five Northeastern states holding primaries, including Pennsylvania, with his rivals pinning their hopes of stopping the Republican front-runner on a fragile coordination strategy in the next rounds of voting.

For Democratic leader Hillary Clinton, wins in most of Tuesday’s contests would leave little doubt that she will be her party’s nominee.

Rival Bernie Sanders’ team has sent mixed signals about his standing in the race, with one top adviser suggesting a tough night would push the Vermont senator to reassess his bid and another vowing to fight “all the way to the convention”.

Clinton was already looking past Sanders, barely mentioning him during recent campaign events. Instead, she deepened her attacks on Trump, casting the billionaire businessman as out of touch with Americans.

“If you want to be president of the United States, you’ve got to get familiar with the United States,” Clinton said. “Don’t just fly that big jet in and land it and go make a big speech and insult everybody you can think of.”

VENEZUELA

Top Venezuela court blocks bid to cut President Maduro’s term

Venezuela’s Supreme Court has rejected a proposed constitutional amendment to cut President Nicolas Maduro’s term from six to four years.

The court ruled that the amendment could not be applied retroactively to Mr Maduro’s current term.

The amendment was proposed by the opposition, which won control of the legislature last year.

The opposition has tried various means to oust Mr Maduro, including constitutional reform and a referendum.

In its judgment, the Supreme Court ruled that the proposed amendment was constitutional, but could not be applied retroactively.

Members of the opposition have expressed frustration at what they say are stalling tactics from the government.

UKRAINE

Chernobyl disaster: Ukraine marks 30th anniversary

Tuesday marks the 30th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, when an explosion at the power plant near the town contaminated a wide area and sent radiation clouds across the globe.

During the catastrophe, two people died immediately, while 29 more died within weeks. It is estimated thousands more have died from cancers and other illnesses in the ensuing years.

More than 200 tons of uranium are still inside the reactor site, fuelling fears that new radiation leaks could occur in the area, which is already considered to be unsafe for at least the next century.

International donors on Monday pledged an additional $99 million in aid toward completing a newer, safer fuel storage facility for Chernobyl.

The reactor is now a huge construction site, with cranes towering over the remains of the power station. The radiation levels still set off danger warnings, three decades after the explosion.

Earthquake: Ecuador appeals for aids

By Abdullateef Salau

The government of Ecuador has appealed for financial support from the international community to aid the coastal areas in the north-west region which was struck by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake (Richter scale).

A statement from the Ecuadorian embassy in Abuja said the “Flash Appeal,” that was launched last week, calls for US$72.7 million to assist people in need over the next three months.

The statement said the UN’s Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Stephen O’Brien has released $7 million through the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to rapidly scale up the life-saving assistance and to support the coordinated, coherent efforts of humanitarian partners.

The United Nations (UN) is providing complementary support to Government relief efforts. A day after the tragic incidence occurred, the UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination Team (UNDAC) was deployed to support on-site coordination in the towns of Manta, Porto Viejo, Pedernales and Quito.

BURUNDI

Burundi deadline to find general’s killers

Burundi’s President Pierre Nkurunziza has given the security forces a one-week deadline to find the killers of a senior general shot dead on Monday.

The killing of General Athanase Kararuza and his wife were “shameful acts,” he said.

Their daughter was also wounded in the attack outside her school in the capital, Bujumbura.

More than 400 people have been killed in unrest since Mr Nkurunziza announced a year ago his bid for a third term.

He won elections in July, after surviving a coup attempt and mass protests to demand that he steps down.

FRANCE

‘Dentist of horror’ jailed in France

A Dutchman dubbed the “dentist of horror” has been sentenced to eight years in jail in France for mutilating the mouths of some 120 patients.

Jacobus van Nierop, 51, “took pleasure” in causing horrific injuries to patients in the small central town of Chateau-Chinon, prosecutors said.

He was banned from practising dentistry and fined €10,500 (£8,140; $11,900).

Van Nierop fled to Canada when suspicions arose and strongly fought extradition to France in 2014.

The court in the central French town of Nevers heard that patients had suffered broken jaws, recurrent abscesses and septicaemia from van Nierop’s work.

He had drugged patients then mutilated them as they slept in his dentist’s chair.

JAPAN

Mitsubishi Motors admits using wrong tests since 1991

Mitsubishi Motors has said it has used fuel consumption tests that broke Japanese rules for the past 25 years.

The admission follows last week’s revelation that it had falsified fuel economy data for four “minicar” models sold only in Japan.

Regulations changed in 1991 to better reflect stop-start urban driving, but Mitsubishi failed to heed the change.

“We should have switched, but it turns out we didn’t,” said Ryugo Nakao, executive vice-president.

That meant many more models than the four minicars may have used fuel tests that did not comply with the regulations