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Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai was sentenced to 14 months in prison while nine other activists received jail time or suspended sentences on Friday for taking part in unauthorised assemblies during mass pro-democracy protests in 2019.

Southeast Asian countries are considering a proposal to send a humanitarian aid mission to Myanmar as a potential first step in a long-term plan to broker a dialogue between the junta and its opponents, diplomats familiar with the discussions said.

Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai will serve 12 months in prison for taking part in an unauthorised assembly during the 2019 mass pro-democracy protests in the Chinese-ruled financial hub.

The senator representing Plateau North in the National Assembly, Istifanus Gyang, has condemned the onslaught on miners in Kuru, Plateau State, in which eight of the miners were killed by the assailants, describing it as brutal.

Pope Francis made a rare Sunday outing from Vatican grounds to celebrate a mass on “divine mercy” with prisoners, refugees and health workers.

A plan to deliver electricity to about 25m Nigerians whose communities are off the grid has commenced in Jigawa State flagged off by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, who restated the determination of the Buhari administration to ensure that millions more will now have access to cheap and environmentally friendly renewable power.

Fresh lockdowns and curfews have been imposed on tens of millions of people from India to Argentina as COVID-19 infections surged again and vaccine rollouts were hampered by shortages and fears of side effects.

The United Nations High Commission for Refugees has said that the rising violence and armed attacks in parts of the country was displacing more Nigerians.

As more youths take to smoking cigarettes, a Civil Society Organisation, CSO, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa, CAPPA, Thursday, demanded total ban on smoking in Nollywood movies as they, directly and indirectly, advertise products of tobacco companies.

A former President of the Senate, Senator David Mark, has charged Nigerians to bury their religious and ethnic differences and come together to establish a common front against forces threatening the peaceful coexistence of the people.

The Federal Government says some unpatriotic elements are encouraging insecurity in some parts of the country.

Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai and two pro-democracy activists pleaded guilty on Wednesday to charges of participating in an illegal march during mass anti-government protests in 2019.

The United States said Tuesday it would discuss calls to boycott the Beijing Olympics with its allies after growing pressure to shun the Winter Games on human rights grounds.

Sudan's cabinet approved a bill Tuesday abolishing a 1958 law on boycotting Israel, after Khartoum and the Jewish state struck a deal to normalise ties.

The Federal Government says some unpatriotic elements are encouraging insecurity in some parts of the country.

Since the country returned to civilian rule on May, 29,1999, Ebonyi state has remained under the rule of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) until the incumbent governor, David Umahi, defected from the PDP to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2020.

Pope Francis urged countries in his Easter message on Sunday to quicken distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, particularly to the world’s poor, and called armed conflict and military spending during a pandemic “scandalous”.

Pope Francis celebrates Easter Mass for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and offers the “Urbi et Orbi” blessing from St Peter’s Basilica on Sunday.

Myanmar could face civil war in the wake of the military coup in the south-east Asian country, Germany’s Foreign Minister Heiko Maas warned on Sunday.

Grieving relatives of those who died in Taiwan’s worst rail disaster in decades held prayers at the crash site on Saturday as salvage crews worked to remove the tangled mass of wrecked carriages.

President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, on Wednesday said that for Nigeria to provide ‘herd immunity’ for its over two hundred million population, efforts must be made by the Federal Government to collaborate with international bodies to develop and produce a vaccine for the purpose.

As the security situation continues to degenerates on daily basis, President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to submit a supplementary budget to the National Assembly for more funds to be made available for the procurement of equipment to battle the insurgents.