World News for Nigerians Today 10th January 2019
Drone Threat Hits Heathrow Airport and Sex Toy Company Loses Innovation Award. Continue reading iDonsabi for more World News…
1. Australian Consulates Evacuated Over ‘Suspicious Packages’
Hazardous material vans have been deployed to consulates across two Australian cities after they received suspicious packages.
Suspicious packages were delivered to the British Consulate and other embassies in Melbourne and Canberra, Australian police say.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said Australian Federal Police are “dealing” with a report of a suspicious package at the British Consulate General in Melbourne.
A spokesman for the US Consulate in Melbourne confirmed they also received a package which local authorities are investigating.
Similar packages were reported to have been sent to consulates and embassies of the United States, Germany, India, New Zealand, Korea, Greece, Egypt and Switzerland in Melbourne.
Consulates in the Australian capital of Canberra also received similar packages, the police said.
A number of consulates have been evacuated in the city of Melbourne have been evacuated over these incidents.
2. U.N. Refers Saudi Teen to Australia for Refugee Resettlement
The United Nations has asked Australia to consider refugee resettlement for an 18-year-old Saudi woman who fled to Thailand saying she feared her family would kill her, the Australian government said on Wednesday.
The teenager, Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun, arrived in Bangkok on the weekend appealing for asylum. Australia said it would consider resettling her if the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) deemed her a refugee.
“The UNHCR has referred Ms Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun to Australia for consideration for refugee resettlement,” Australia’s Department of Homeland Security said in an email.
Qunun arrived Bangkok on Saturday and was initially denied entry Read Here
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3. World’s Biggest Tobacco Company Vows to Phase out Cigarettes
Philip Morris International, a company which makes Marlboro and several other leading brands of cigarette has vowed to phase out cigarettes and move into smoke-free products instead.
The company spent about £3.5bn on science and technology so far, gathering up over 3,000 patents, with another 5,000 patents pending.
The Company has now announced that its new area of focus is on IQOS, an electric device that heats, rather than burns tobacco.
They said, , according to their research, “The cooler temperature lowers levels of 15 noxious chemicals found in cigarette smoke by 95%”.
4. Trump Pleas for $5.7bn Wall, Says Border Crisis is a ‘Humanitarian’ One
Donald Trump, in his plea to get funding for his wall said the US-Mexico border issue is a humanitarian crisis of “the heart and soul”.
The US president, addressing the US nationals on TV from the Oval Office, said Congress needed to approve the $5.7bn (£4.5bn) wall on their southern border on security and humanitarian grounds.
On the 18th day of partial government shutdown over the wall funding, President Trump begged newly empowered Democrats to meet with him, saying it was “immoral” for “politicians to do nothing”.
He said he has conceded to making the wall steel rather than concrete, as he branded illegal immigrants, criminals and drug dealers who put a strain on their public resources and fuel the deaths of Americans by drugs.
In his words, “More Americans will die from drugs this year than were killed in the entire Vietnam War.”
5. Musician Charged in Family Slayings Seeks Insanity Plea
The attorney for a family-band musician who the US authorities said killed his mother and brother at a family’s Ohio farm says he plans to seek a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity.
It was reported that the attorney on Monday requested another psychological evaluation of whether 26-year-old Jacob Stockdale is competent for trial.
A separate examination will determine whether he was legally sane at the time of the 2017 slayings. A previous evaluation found him competent.
He is charged with murder in the fatal shootings of his 54-year-old mother, Kathryn Stockdale and 21-year-old brother, James Stockdale.
He was said to have shot himself after the killings.
6. Sex-Toy Company Loses ‘Innovation’ Award After Organizers Changed their Mind
An Oregon-based company that specialized in sex toys won an award from a Las Vegas’ Consumer Electronics Show, only to have withdrawn because the show’s organizers turned around to say the product is “immoral, obscene, indecent and profane.”
Lora DiCarlo, the company that manufactured the product described the product, Ose as “micro-robotic technology that mimics all of the sensations of a human mouth, tongue, and fingers, for an experience that feels just like a real partner.”
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7. Man Attack 20 Children with Hammer at Chinese School
A hammer-wielding man wounded 20 children in an attack at an elementary school in Beijing on Tuesday, with three suffering serious injuries.
It was reported that the suspect was brought “under control” and the wounded pupils were admitted to hospital.
Surnamed Jia, the 49-year-old assailant was a contractor hired by the school to do daily maintenance work.
However, his contract was to terminate at the end of January, though the school was discussing another job posting for him when he used a hammer and attacked pupils to “vent his resentment”.
8. Drone Menace Hits London’s Heathrow Airport
The Heathrow airport was partially shut for more than an hour after reports of drones flying near runways was reported. This is the second time in a month a London airport had to suspend flights because of a drone threat.
According to London Metropolitan Police, departures were halted after sightings of possible drones in the vicinity of Europe’s busiest airport after 5 p.m. local time on Tuesday.
Services resumed following an evaluation of the threat to safety, with the government saying it was looking at bringing in the military.
The incident comes within weeks after the city’s Gatwick Airport closed for the same reason.
READ ALSO >> More UFOs Sighted in Belgium <<
9. Rwanda Bans Skin-Lightening Products
Rwanda has officially banned the sales of skin-lightening products across the country.
Aljazeera reported that the ban was officially enforced in November 2018 and the government has for the past two month been removing the said products from shelves.
President Paul Kagame has condemned skin-lightening products and tweeted in November that they were “unhealthy” and contain dangerously harmful chemicals.
According to Al Jazeera, Rwanda follows South Africa, Kenya and Ghana in banning the products.
US Celebrity, Blac Chyna was highly criticized for signing a deal with Nigerian company Whitenicious to promote their skin-lightening product which they planned to sell at about (R3,500).
10. Fuel Cost Less in Kenya, Tanzania as Global Prices Drop
Motorists in these Kenya and Tanzania now enjoy lower prices for petrol, diesel and kerosene in the New Year, compared with in November and December, thanks to a drop in world prices.
In Tanzania, the price of petrol has dropped by 5.8%, diesel 8.69%, and kerosene 7.03% since January 2.
In Kenya, petrol is down by 8.46%, diesel by 2.58% and kerosene by 11.12%.
11. Father of Saudi Teen Asylum Seeker in Thailand Appears
The father of the 18-year-old Saudi asylum seeker who fled to Thailand saying her family wanted to kill her, has appeared in Bangkok on Tuesday and wants to meet his daughter.
However, Thailand’s Immigration Chief said, Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun’s father and brother would have to wait and see whether the UN refugee agency would allow them to see her.
He said, “The father and brother want to go and talk to Rahaf but the U.N. will need to approve such talk.”
