Category: iNTERNATIONAL

UK to hike visa fee, health insurance charge for Nigerians, others

Aminu Imam

…As US Govt. increases work, student visa fees by 15% The United Kingdom (UK) Government is set to increase visa fee and health insurance charge for Nigerians and others. British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak announced a plan to increase the visa application fee paid by immigrants. While delivering a speech regarding an increase in public sector wages, Sunak disclosed that part of the funding for the wage increase will be raised from the foreign migrants who come to the United Kingdom to live and work. Fees for the state-funded National Health…

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Islamophobia: Nigeria, 56 other OIC countries condemn Quran burning in Sweden

Aminu Imam

Nigeria and 56 other countries under the aegis of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, (OIC), have condemned the recent incident of an Iraqi refugee living in Sweden who burned several pages of the Quran. According to reports, an Iraqi native, Salwan Momika, set fire to the holy book outside a mosque on the first day of Eid-el Kabir. The Swedish government condemned the burning of a Quran outside Stockholm’s major mosque, describing it as an “Islamophobic” act. Last week, the government accused Momika of incitement against an ethnic or national…

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Turkey’s Erdo?an triumphs in historic run-off election

Aminu Imam

Recep Erdo?an has won Turkey’s run-off presidential election to seal another five-year term, according to official preliminary results that marked an end to a determined opposition effort to unseat the longtime leader. Erdo?an received 53.41 percent of the votes, electoral chief, Ahmet Yener said on Sunday evening, after 99.43 percent of the ballots had been counted. His rival, Kemal K?l?çdaro?lu received 46.59 percent, according to the preliminary figures, Yener said. Erdo?an – who claimed victory hours before the official announcement – can now remain in his seat for another five…

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U.K. set to ban Nigerian students, others from bringing family members

Aminu Imam

The United Kingdom is set to announce new restrictions that will most likely stop Nigerian students, other nationalities studying in the UK from bringing their families over. According to a report by The Sun UK, the crackdown, which will see all Master’s Degree students and many other post-graduates banned from bringing their family over, will be announced this week. However, the ban will not apply to PHD students, whose courses usually last between 3 and 5 years and are very highly skilled, the UK media House reported. This follows the…

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UK: Archbishop of Canterbury fined £500 for over-speeding in London

Aminu Imam

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby has been convicted of speeding. He was ordered to pay £510 in total for exceeding a 20 mile per hour limit, near Lambeth Palace on 2 October last year. The 67-year-old was also handed three penalty points after being caught by a speed camera in his Volkswagen Golf on the A3036 Albert Embankment. He was convicted in a private hearing at Lavender Hill Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday – the same day he criticised the government’s plans to combat the issue of migrants crossing the…

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1,600 UK anti-monarchists to protest King Charles coronation

Aminu Imam

At least 1,600 activists opposing UK’s monarchy will protest in London on the day of the coronation of Charles III, citing a leader of the antimonarchist movement Republic. According to UK’s TV channel, Sky News, the CEO of Republic, Graham Smith, was quoted as saying “we are opposed to the monarchy; and this is a very public display of hereditary privilege and power and needs to be challenged”. According to the report, the protesters plan to follow the coronation route holding banners and chanting “Abolish the monarchy” and “Not my…

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Millions to swear allegiance to King Charles in historic coronation

Aminu Imam

Millions of people will be called upon to swear ‘true allegiance’ to King Charles at the coronation scheduled to take place on Saturday, May 6, 2023, at Westminster Abbey, Daily Mail reports. The UK-based news platform added that for the first time in history, every citizen of the UK and all the other nations of which the monarch is head of state will be asked to “make their homage in heart and voice to their undoubted King”. The trail-blazing move will make the ceremony more of a ‘People’s Coronation’, as…

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Sudan Last Day of Ceasefire: Nigerians stranded in desert

Aminu Imam

Some Nigerians who managed to leave war-torn Sudan, are currently stranded on the journey from Khartoum to Cairo, in Egypt, after the drivers of the buses, after being paid to evacuate them, stopped in the middle of the desert and complained that the bus’s fuel had finished, and that the Federal Government has not remunerated them. As of the time of filing this report yesterday afternoon, it was gathered that none of the Embassy officials are on the ground to explain to stranded Nigerians, especially the students, why the drivers…

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Australia reaches deal with China that could end barley trade dispute

Abdul-Azeez Ahmed Kadir

The Australian government has reached a deal with China that could lead to the lifting of tariffs on barley that was introduced in 2020. The Australian foreign affairs and trade ministries said this jointly on Tuesday that the deal would create a pathway toward resolving the dispute. Australia said China agreed “to undertake an expedited review of the duties’’ over the next three to four months. During this time, Australia will suspend its proceedings against Beijing before the World Trade Organisation (WTO). “If the duties are not lifted at the…

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UK stops recruitment of Nigeria, other countries’ healthcare workers

Aminu Imam

The United Kingdom (UK) government has stopped Nigeria and some other country’s healthcare workers from being recruited by health and social care employers in UK unless there is a government-to-government agreement. The red list, where Nigeria now falls, is drawn from the WHO Health Workforce Support and Safeguards list. Countries that are not on either the red or amber lists are to be considered ‘green’ countries. The WHO had a month ago, listed 55 countries, including Nigeria facing the most pressing health workforce challenges related to Universal Health Coverage.

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