South Sudan's rival leaders form coalition government

In an attempt to end years of ruinous conflict that has killed almost 400,000 and forced millions from their homes, rival leaders in South Sudan have formed a transitional coalition government.

Opposition leader Riek Machar was sworn in on Saturday in the capital, Juba, as the first deputy of President Salva Kiir a day after the previous government was dissolved.

"I do hereby swear that I shall be faithful and bear diligence to the Republic of South Sudan," Machar said in his oath in front of a room packed with diplomats and regional representatives, including Sudanese leader General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.

Amid applause, Machar embraced and shook hands with Kiir. 

For his part, Kiir declared "the official end of the war, and we can now proclaim a new dawn". Peace is "never to be shaken ever again", the president said, adding that he had forgiven Machar and asking for Machar's forgiveness, to applause. He called on their respective Dinka and Nuer ethnic groups to do the same.

Kiir and Machar started out as president and deputy at independence from Sudan in 2011. But two years later, Kiir sacked Machar and later accused him of attempting a coup against him, sparking a bloody war characterised by ethnic conflict. 

INEC Deregisters 74 Political Parties

 

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has deregistered seventy-four political parties out of the existing 91.

This happened after the commission recently carried out a review of the performance of political parties after the 2019 general elections to see which parties qualify to exists.

Briefing newsmen in Abuja, the Chairman of INEC, Professor Mahmood Yakubu also disclosed that the Commission has fixed September 19th, 2020 for the governorship election in Edo and October 10th, 2020 for the gubernatorial Ondo state.

'Children at risk' amid coronavirus outbreak

Children are particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus outbreak, international aid group Save the Children said, as it expressed concern over its spread in countries with weak healthcare systems.  

"While the Chinese government is taking effective measures to respond to this outbreak inside China, Save the Children is concerned about a potential outbreak in other parts of Asia where the healthcare systems won't be able to adequately screen for the virus or treat patients who have contracted it," Hassan Saadi Noor, the charity's Asia Regional Director, said in a statement. 

Basketball legend (Kobe Bryant) dies in helicopter crash

The indefatigable Legend of our time, Kobe Bryant

Bryant, 41, and daughter (Gianna, 13), were travelling in a private helicopter when it came down and burst into flames.

The LA county sheriff said there were no survivors.

Bryant, a five-time NBA champion, played for the LA Lakers throughout his career and is considered one of the greatest players in the game's history.

Tributes from celebrities and fellow sports stars have been pouring in, many expressing shock at his sudden death.

Moments of silence have been observed at basketball games across the US.

Swarm of Locusts hovering round East Africa; UN calls for international aid in East Africa

Swarm of Locusts attacking a vegetation

Thick clouds of locusts are hovering the skies of East Africa from Ethiopia and Somalia into Kenya due to extreme weather changes.

Experts warned Friday that the insect infestation could have disastrous effects on a region still recovering from recent drought and aggressive flooding. 

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimated that one locust invasion in Kenya covered around 2,400 square kilometers (930 square miles) and contained up to 200 billion locusts which descend to feed off plants and vegetation.

People in Kenya have been seen shooting in the air, waving sticks, banging cans and running around trying to chase the locusts away, according to the Associated Press news agency.

For Ethiopia and Somalia, the infestation is the biggest in 25 years, and for Kenya it is the greatest swarm in 70 years, according to the FAO.

Several deaths recorded, hundreds hurt as quake hits eastern Turkey

Rescue Team at work

Shockingly, a 6.8-magnitude earthquake rocked a sparsely populated part of eastern Turkey on Friday, leaving at least 18 people dead, injuring more than 500 and leaving some 30 trapped in the wreckage of toppled buildings, Turkish officials said.

Rescue teams from neighbouring provinces were dispatched to the affected areas, working in the dark with floodlights in the freezing cold, and Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said troops were on standby to help.

Hundreds of residents were left homeless or with damaged homes.

China confirms human-to-human transmission of coronavirus

Medical staff carry a patient into a hospital in Wuhan where patients infected with the coronavirus are being treated

China’s health ministry has confirmed human-to-human transmission of a mysterious Sars-like virus that has spread across the country and fuelled anxiety about the prospect of a major outbreak as millions begin travelling for lunar new year celebrations.

Zhong Nanshan, a respiratory expert and head of the national health commission team investigating the outbreak, confirmed that two cases of infection in China’s Guangdong province had been caused by human-to-human transmission and medical staff had been infected, China’s official Xinhua news agency said on Monday.