Overseas

A new visa scheme offering millions of Hong Kongers a pathway to British citizenship went live on Sunday as the city’s former colonial master opens its doors to those wanting to escape China’s crackdown on dissent.

Britain on Friday hailed a new visa offering Hong Kong citizens a route to citizenship after China’s crackdown but Beijing said it would no longer recognise special British passports offered to residents of the former colony.

No fewer than 96 companies from Nigeria and overseas have indicated interest in undertaking the rehabilitation of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation’s (NNPC) downstream infrastructure.

The Primate of the African Church, Nigeria and Overseas, His Eminence, Julius Olayinka Abbe, has admonished the federal government to as a matter of urgency address all the demands of the striking Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) so that the 8-month old strike would be called off in the interest of of the students and the entire nation.

Australia’s second-biggest city will this week exit its coronavirus lockdown following nearly four months under onerous restrictions, authorities announced Monday, after no new daily cases or deaths were recorded.

The United Kingdom has threatened to ban anyone guilty of electoral violence ahead of the Ondo and Edo governorship elections which come up on September 19 and October 10 respectively.

Beijing on Friday denied trying to meddle in US presidential election after American tech giant Microsoft said it had parried cyberattacks from overseas groups – including from China – against both the Republican and Democratic campaigns.

Managed isolation charges for returnees will come into force from Tuesday, said New Zealand Housing Minister Megan Woods after they passed their last cabinet milestone on Monday.

France is sending specialist teams and equipment to help Mauritius deal with a fuel spill from a bulk carrier that ran aground on a pristine reef two weeks ago and threatens to become an ecological disaster.

The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), announced this on Saturday via Twitter saying the returnees arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos at about 15:00pm via the Ethiopian Airlines.

Hong Kong's democracy supporters were dealt a huge blow Friday as authorities postponed local elections because of the coronavirus, capping a devastating month of political disqualifications, arrests for social media posts and activists fleeing overseas.

The United States Navy has awarded a Nigerian officer, Lieutenant Victor Agunbiade, its medal of commendation for his meritorious service.

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), said it has rescued 71 victims and arrested three suspected human traffickers in Kano State.

Global oil prices fell on Friday, adding to steep losses from the previous session, and were headed for weekly declines on worries that renewed lockdowns following a surge in coronavirus cases in the United States and elsewhere would suppress fuel demand.

From July 1, overseas arrivals in the Australian State of Queensland will have to pay for a mandatory 14-day hotel quarantine, expected to be around 1,900 United States dollars per person, officials told Xinhua on Thursday.

He said, “It could make sense to be in economies such as Nigeria and South Africa. If one considers there are things to do, the time frame I am considering is rather a few months than a few years.”

Canada-based Nigerian medical doctor, Dr. Oladayo Oladipo, has expressed concern over the increased numbers of fatalities and confirmed cases of novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) patients in the country.

Governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufa’i of Kaduna State has warned that coronavirus was not a friend to anybody and could strike where it was least expected.

Super Eagles coordinator Patrick Pascal says the team’s head coach Gernot Rohr deserves a new contract.

The Secretary to Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, has said Abba Kyari’s demise is a proof to Nigerians that “COVID-19 is real and it is a matter of life and death.”

China’s National Health Commission reported 27 new confirmed coronavirus cases on April 17, up from 26 the day earlier, according to data published on Saturday.

As many people are now aware, the outbreak of the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID–19) in China has rapidly permeated and profoundly changed the world.