The world’s longest internet shutdown – affecting more than a million people for 19 months in one of Myanmar’s ethnic conflict zones – has come to an end, according to a mobile operator based in the region. The internet in parts of Myanmar’s troubled northern states of Rakhine and Chin was suspended in June 2019 following “emergency” orders issued by the telecoms department under Aung San Suu Kyi’s civilian government. Following Monday’s military coup, mobile…
A High Court sitting in Abeokuta, South-West Nigeria on Wednesday sentenced a 33-year-old man, Ibrahim Toyin, to death by hanging for robbing a woman of her handbag at gunpoint. Justice Ayokunle Rotimi-Balogun delivering her judgment held that all the evidence tendered had convinced the court beyond a reasonable doubt that Ibrahim committed the offences as charged. She subsequently, sentenced Ibrahim to death by hanging. Earlier during the trial, the police had charged Ibrahim with two…
Popstar, Rihanna and climate activist Greta Thunberg drew the ire of the Indian government Wednesday after they tweeted in support of the massive farmers’ protest against new agriculture laws. Tens of thousands of farmers have been camped on the outskirts of India’s capital New Delhi since November, calling for a repeal of laws they fear will allow large corporations to crush them. Rihanna, who has more than 100 million followers on Twitter, wrote “why aren’t…
United States President Joe Biden has appointed Nigerian-born Enoh Titilayo Ebong as the acting director of the US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA). “The appointment meant a return to USTDA where from 2004 to 2019, Ms. Ebong had served in a variety of roles, most recently as the Agency’s General Counsel, and Deputy Director and Chief Operating Officer,” USTDA said in a statement. “As Acting Director, Ms. Ebong leads an agency that partners with the…
An alliance of campaign groups have issued an open letter on Wednesday calling on world leaders to boycott the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics over China’s human rights record. The Games are scheduled to begin on February 4 next year, just six months after the delayed summer Tokyo Olympics, but preparations have been overshadowed by the Coronavirus pandemic. China is also facing global scrutiny over a range of issues, notably the mass internment of Uighur Muslims…