• Thursday, March 28, 2024
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Five things to know to start your Monday

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APC has no Senatorial candidate in Yobe North, Akwa Ibom North West – INEC

The ongoing saga to recognise Ahmed Lawan, Senate President, and Godswill Akpabio, former governor of Akwa Ibom State, to return to the senate come 2023 continues. This follows the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) refusal to accept nominated names from the All Progressive Congress (APC) for Yobe North and Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial Districts.

Earlier, during the campaigns and the subsequent primaries, the APC registered winners outside of the two names presented but decided to submit the two names.

However, Festus Okoye, the INEC National Commissioner who spoke to Channels TV Politics Today on Sunday, said that the electoral body does not recognise any APC candidate for both senatorial zones.

Okoye said that the two candidates submitted by the party were names that didn’t emerge from validly conducted primaries and, as a result, couldn’t be published.

Both candidates didn’t participate in the primaries because they instead contested for the party’s ticket in the presidential primaries, which they lost to Ahmed Bola Tinubu.

Okoye said that the case to recognise both candidates is in court and its outcome will determine the fate of both candidates.

Read also: 2023: Labour Party crisis deepens as Awamaridi vows not to relinquish guber ticket

Ruto ahead in Kenya’s presidential vote count

As the wait for the election result from the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) continues, information not fully confirmed shows that William Ruto of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) is taking the early lead ahead of his closest contender, Raila Odinga of the Orange Democratic Movement.

According to Reuters, a report by the Nation media group showed Ruto taking 51 percent of the vote, ahead of left-leaning opposition leader Raila Odinga, who had 48 percent.

The presidential elections in Kenya have in the past resulted in the deaths of more than 2000 people, especially when the wait for the result seems to be creating a lot of manipulation conspiracies. In 2007, 2000 people were killed in post-election violence, while more than 100 died in similar circumstances in 2017.

There are fears that violence may break out as tempers flare and conspiracy theorists gather strength.

The result is expected in some days’ time as a result of the slow pace of counting by the electoral body.

Egyptian church fire kills at least 41, most of them children

Tragedy hit the city of Giza when an electrically induced fire incident swept through an Egyptian Coptic Church during Mass on Sunday.

The incident caused a stampede that killed at least 41 people, mostly children.

According to Reuters, the fire started before 9 in the morning in the Abu Sifin Church, where about up to 1,000 people had gathered.

The fire broke out at the entrance of the church, causing a stampede in the process. The confusion that followed resulted in the deaths of many children who were trapped on the third and fourth floors of the church building.

A funeral service was held on Sunday night at a cemetery in Giza for those killed during the stampede.

WHO names monkeypox variants as Clades I, IIa, IIb

New variants of the monkeypox virus have been given new names by the World Health Organisation. A statement issued by the WHO said that the organisation resolved to name the new variants using Roman numerals—Clades I, IIa, and IIb.

The international organisation said that the new names for variants of diseases were arrived upon in order to avoid causing any “cultural or social offence.”

According to the BBC, experts in pox virology, evolutionary biology, and representatives of research institutes from across the globe reviewed the phylogeny and nomenclature of the known and new monkeypox virus variants or clades.

A group of global experts convened by WHO agreed on new names for monkeypox virus variants as part of ongoing efforts to align the names of the monkeypox disease virus and variants—or clades—with current best practices.

A statement from the WHO said that they met global best practises when they arrived at their names, avoiding causing any offence to any cultural, social, national, regional, professional, or ethnic groups, and minimising any negative impact on trade, travel, tourism, or animal welfare.

Brent crude struggles to maintain $98 position

The Brent crude price struggled to maintain its $98 per barrel position on Monday morning following uncertainties about increased supply prospects from Iran and a high demand outlook as projected by the International Energy Agency (IEA). Saudi Aramco’s promises to increase supply also played a crucial role in the fall in price.

Its current position represents a 1.5 percent fall from its previous week’s position.

According to Trading Economics, Iran’s state-run IRNA reported on Friday that an EU proposal to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal “can be acceptable if it provides assurances” on Tehran’s key demands, which include the issues of safeguards, sanctions, and guarantees.

The Brent also responded to IEA and OPEC forecasts on oil consumption as both bodies released separate projections about the future of oil for the remaining part of this year.

As demand falls, 20 percent of the gains made during the early days of the Russia-Ukraine crisis have been erased.