Foreign

South Sudan govt shuts down Facebook over protests

Published

2 ans ago

août 30, 2021

Naija Diaspora

Internet services in South Sudan were disrupted on Monday and security forces were deployed on the streets, which were quieter than usual as residents sheltered inside after activists had called for protests against President Salva Kiir’s government.

With Kiir scheduled to address lawmakers at parliament’s opening session on Monday morning, a coalition of activist groups reiterated their call on Sunday for public rallies demanding he resign. However, there was no sign early on Monday of major street gatherings in the capital Juba. Some activists told Reuters they were in hiding for security reasons.

Police said the activists had not sought permission to protest, and therefore any large demonstration would be illegal.

“We deployed the forces at least to keep order in case of any problem. Those forces are in the streets for your safety,” police spokesperson Daniel Justin Boulogne said.

In televised remarks to an elite unit on Sunday, Deputy Inspector-General of Police Lt Gen. James Pui Yak said authorities would not “harm anybody” to break up demonstrations.

“They are just going to advice people … to go on with their normal lives, we don’t want any disruption.”

Residents in Juba told Reuters that as of Sunday evening mobile data was unavailable on the network of South African mobile operator MTN Group , and by Monday morning it was also halted on the network of Kuwait-based operator Zain Group.

Alp Toker, director of NetBlocks, a London-based group that monitors internet disruptions, said it detected “significant disruption to internet service in South Sudan beginning Sunday evening, including to leading cellular networks”.

Deputy Information Minister Baba Medan told Reuters he could not comment immediately on the reported shutdown, as he was busy attending the opening of parliament. MTN did not immediately respond to a comment request. A spokesperson for Zain said he was checking with the South Sudan office.

Activist Jame David Kolok, whose Foundation for Democracy and Accountable Governance is one of the groups that called for the demonstration, told Reuters that the internet shutdown was a sign “the authorities are panicking”.

The activists accuse Kiir’s government of corruption and failing to protect the population or provide basic services. Kiir’s government has repeatedly denied allegations from rights and advocacy groups of abuses and corruption.

Events

Ethiopian Embassy reportedly bans visa on arrival for Nigerians

Published

12 mois ago

octobre 5, 2022

Naija Diaspora

The Ethiopian embassy has reportedly suspended visas on arrival for Nigerians with immediate effect.

Ethiopian Airlines, in a memo sent to travel partners on Tuesday, October 4, said passengers are to obtain their Visa at the Ethiopian embassy in Abuja before embarking on any trip to the country, DailyTrust reports.

According to the report, the airlines said, “Please be informed that effective immediate No More Visa on Arrival for Nigerian citizens.

Passengers are to obtain their visa at the Ethiopian Embassy in Abuja before traveling.

Please note that: Passengers transiting overnight in Addis Ababa are not affected by the ban. E.g. passengers having layover in Addis to travel the next morning to Zanzibar, Seycheles, Lusaka, Lilongwe, Harare, Cape Town, etc are not affected by the ban and do not need transit visa for their trips.”

Foreign

China Detects First Human Case Of H3N8 Bird Flu

Published

1 an ago

avril 27, 2022

Naija Diaspora

April 27, (THEWILL) – China has confirmed the first known human case of the H3N8 strain of avian flu, but health authorities say there is a low risk of widespread transmission among people.

H3N8 is known to have been circulating since 2002, after first emerging in North American waterfowl. It is known to infect horses, dogs, and seals, but has not previously been detected in humans.

April 27, (THEWILL) – China’s National Health Commission, said a four-year-old boy, living in central Henan province, tested positive for the strain after being hospitalised earlier this month with a fever and other symptoms.

The boy’s family raised chickens at home and lived in an area populated by wild ducks, the NHC said in a statement.

The boy was infected directly by birds and the strain was not found to have “the ability to effectively infect humans”, the commission said.

It added that tests of the boy’s close human contacts found “no abnormalities.”

The NHC said the boy’s case was a “one-off cross-species transmission, and the risk of large-scale transmission is low.”

It warned the public to nevertheless stay away from dead or sick birds and seek immediate treatment for fever or respiratory symptoms.

Avian influenza occurs mainly in wild birds and poultry. Cases of transmission between humans are extremely rare.

The H5N1 and H7N9 strains of bird flu, detected in 1997 and 2013, respectively, have been responsible for most cases of human illness from avian influenza, according to the US Centers for Disease Control.

Human infections of zoonotic, or animal-borne, influenzas are “primarily acquired through direct contact with infected animals or contaminated environments, but do not result in efficient transmission of these viruses between people”, according to the World Health Organisation.

In 2012, H3N8 was blamed for the deaths of more than 160 seals off the northeastern coast of the United States after it caused deadly pneumonia in the animals.

Foreign

$148,000 fraud: Nigeria extradites suspected Yahoo Boy to U.S.

Published

1 an ago

avril 27, 2022

Naija Diaspora

The Federal Government has extradited a wire fraud (locally known as Yahoo Yahoo) suspect, Adedunmola Gbadegesin to the United States where he is wanted in a case of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering.

Gbadegesin, who was arrested in Nigeria on September 2, 2021, is alleged to have defrauded an American lady living in Kentucky, of over $148,000

The US intends to prosecute Gbadegesin for offences allegedly contravening Title 18, US Code, Section 1349 and 1956 (h).

If convicted abroad, Gbadegesin could face a maximum jail term of 20 years.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) disclosed this in a statement by its spokesman Wilson Uwujaren.

Uwujaren said Gbadegesin’s extradition was coordinated by the EFCC, following a request from the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF).

This in turn followed a February 11, 2022 Order by Justice Daniel Osiagor of the Federal High Court, Lagos, in Suit No. FHC/L/CS/765/21.

The suit granted a request to extradite the suspect to the United States to answer to criminal charges bordering on romance scam, wire fraud and money laundering.

Upon arriving in the United States, the suspect is billed to appear before a United States District Court for the District of New Mexico, where two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering have been filed against him.