By Francesca Hangeior

The Federal Government has unveiled the second phase of its contactless biometric passport application system across its four missions in United States, Mexico, Jamaica and Brazil.

The Nigeria Immigration Service NIS disclosed this in a tweet on its ‘X’ handle signed by Service Spokesman, ACI AS Akinlabi.

The statement reads; “ain continuation of the phased Roll-Out of the Contactless Biometric Passport Application System across Nigerian Missions abroad, the Nigeria Immigration Service under its

Comptroller General, Kemi Nanna Nandap wishes to inform the General public especially Nigerians in the Diaspora that it is implementing the next stage of the roll-out across the following countries.

“The Application System, which is currently available on Google Play Store (NIS Mobile), is designed to allow Nigerians to renew their passports without visiting any Passport Centre for Biometrics enrollment. The Apple Store version will be onboarded shortly and an enhanced version of the NIS Mobile App for both Android and iOS users will be deployed to further improve users’ experience and accessibility.

“With this roll-out, the Service further informs the General public that the Contactless Passport App is now available in Canada, the USA, Mexico, Jamaica, Brazil, Europe, and Asia. It is yet to be rolled out in Australia and Nigeria, a future date will be announced for both countries in due course.

“The Service remains committed to innovative and efficient Service Delivery to Nigerians anywhere in the world”.

By Francesca Hangeior

At least eight of the 1,800 candidates shortlisted for teaching positions under the Kwara State Teaching Service Commission have been disqualified after testing positive for banned substances.

This was disclosed in a statement on Monday by the TESCOM Press Secretary, Sam Onile, who quoted the Chairman of the Commission, Bello Abubakar.

According to the statement, the disqualified applicants tested positive for drugs, including benzodiazepine, tramadol, cotinine, marijuana, and amphetamine.

The tests were conducted by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency with support from the state government.

Abubakar said the affected candidates would be replaced by the next best-performing applicants from their respective local government areas.

“A major implication of this development is that the affected individuals will be replaced by the candidates who are next to them in performance from their respective local government areas,” the statement said.

“The idea is to send an unmistakable message about the state government’s zero tolerance for drug abuse. We have a duty of care not to expose little children to drug abuse under any circumstances.”

The TESCOM chairman praised AbdulRazaq for insisting on a merit-based recruitment process, noting that the governor had again demonstrated fairness and commitment to quality education in the state.

By Francesca Hangeior

Pop star Katy Perry is now the biggest name in an all-woman group set to touch the edge of space Monday, roaring into the cosmos on one of billionaire Jeff Bezos’s rockets.

The “Firework” and “California Gurls” singer lifted more than 100 kilometers (60 miles) above the Earth’s surface in a vessel from Blue Origin, the space company owned by the Amazon founder.

Five other women, including Bezos’s fiancee Lauren Sanchez, joined the flight that blasted off from western Texas.

Their fully automated craft rose vertically before the crew capsule detaches mid-flight, later falling back to the ground slowed by parachutes and a retro rocket.

Monday’s mission is the first all-woman space crew since Valentina Tereshkova’s historic solo flight in 1963.

It is also the 11th sub-orbital crewed operation by Blue Origin, which has offered the space tourism experiences for several years.

The company does not publicly communicate the price of trips made possible by its New Shepard rocket.

Lasting around 10 minutes, the flight brough the passengers beyond the Karman line — the internationally recognised boundary of space.

There was a brief period when the women could unbuckle from their seats and float in zero gravity.

Perry recently told Elle magazine that she was taking part “for my daughter Daisy,” whom she shares with actor Orlando Bloom, “to inspire her to never have limits on her dreams.”
“I’m just so excited to see the inspiration through her eyes and the light in her eyes when she sees that rocket go, and she goes back to school the next day and says ‘Mom went to space’,” Perry added.

She said in a separate video posted to Instagram that she was shocked to discover during space training that the capsule she will travel in was named the “Tortoise” and decorated with a “feather” design — the two nicknames her parents have for her.

“There are no coincidences and I’m just so grateful for these confirmations and so grateful that I feel like something bigger than me is steering the ship,” Perry said in the video.