Headline

British High Commission Clarifies Stance On UK Visa Rules

Published

2 months ago

May 7, 2025

Editor

The British High Commission in Nigeria has reaffirmed its commitment to facilitating legal migration and legitimate travel while continuing efforts to curb immigration abuse.

This comes amid growing speculation regarding potential changes to the United Kingdom visa regulations,

A spokesperson for the Commission (name withheld) in a statement issued by the commission on Wednesday stated, “We keep our immigration system under constant review to allow legal migration and legitimate travel, while deterring those who may seek to abuse it.”

Emphasising the strength of bilateral ties, the spokesperson added, “Our UK and Nigeria people-to-people links are strong and enduring, and we continue to work closely with the Government of Nigeria to tackle irregular migration.”

The High Commission urged individuals seeking more information on this matter to reach out to its Press and Public Affairs team, appreciating the public’s understanding and cooperation in addressing migration concerns.

The Times on Tuesday reported that the UK was considering new immigration measures that could make it harder for citizens of Nigeria, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka to obtain visas, citing high rates of overstays and subsequent asylum claims.

According to the report, the UK Home Office was preparing to introduce stricter visa policies targeting nationalities identified as having a greater likelihood of remaining in the country beyond the terms of their visas.

In recent years, Nigerian applicants have faced tighter visa rules, including restrictions on bringing dependents and reduced post-study work opportunities.

As a result, student visa applications from Nigeria have significantly declined, and many are now looking to alternative destinations, including the United States, where visa policies have also become more restrictive.

Data from 2024 revealed a sharp rise in UK visa rejections for Nigerians, with the rejection rate increasing from 1 in 31 applications in 2022 to 1 in 8 by late 2023. This has led to a 63 percent drop in UK visas issued to Nigerians over the past year.

Headline

Judge In Maradona Negligence Case Resigns Amid Scandal

Published

14 minutes ago

June 24, 2025

Editor

The Argentine judge who caused the collapse of a trial over the 2020 death of football legend Diego Maradona has resigned, her lawyer said Tuesday.

Julieta Makintach’s involvement in a clandestine documentary about the trial of Maradona’s medical team led to the proceedings being scrapped in May after two months of hearings.

No date has yet been set for a new trial.

“I have the honor of addressing you in my capacity as judge (…)in order to submit my resignation from my position,” Makintach wrote in a letter to the governor of Buenos Aires that was shared by her lawyer.

Makintach was facing impeachment proceedings over her participation in the documentary about the case against seven medical staff accused of manslaughter over Maradona’s death.

Maradona — considered one of the world’s greatest ever players — died in November 2020 at the age of 60 while recovering from brain surgery.

He died of heart failure and acute pulmonary edema — a condition where fluid accumulates in the lungs — two weeks after going under the knife.

Prosecutor say the conditions of his home convalescence were grossly negligent.

Makintach was one of three judges hearing the case.

Headline

Netanyahu Vows To Thwart ‘Any Attempt’ By Iran To Rebuild Nuclear Programme

Published

18 minutes ago

June 24, 2025

Editor

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Tuesday to crush any attempt by Iran to rebuild its nuclear programme in a national address to the country after 12 days of war.

“Iran will not have a nuclear weapon,” Netanyahu said after a ceasefire put a halt to airstrikes by the two countries against each other.

“We have thwarted Iran’s nuclear project. And if anyone in Iran tries to rebuild it, we will act with the same determination, with the same intensity, to foil any attempt,” he added.

Headline

Netanyahu Hails ‘Historic Victory’ In Iran War

Published

21 minutes ago

June 24, 2025

Editor

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday hailed a “historic victory” in his country’s 12-day war against Iran and vowed to prevent Tehran rebuilding its nuclear facilities.

“We have achieved a historic victory,” Netanyahu said in a televised address to the nation after the start of a ceasefire agreed to by both countries.

“Iran will never have a nuclear weapon,” he told viewers in the near-10-minute speech.

“We have thwarted Iran’s nuclear project. And if anyone in Iran tries to rebuild it, we will act with the same determination, with the same intensity, to foil any attempt,” he added.

The head of Israel’s military Eyal Zamir said earlier on Tuesday that its strikes had set back Iran’s nuclear programme “by years” and the campaign against the country was now “entering a new phase”.

Iran said on Tuesday that it was ready to return to nuclear negotiations with the United States as the ceasefire took hold.

But Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said his country would continue to “assert its legitimate rights” to the peaceful use of atomic power.

Israel’s government said in a statement earlier Tuesday that it had removed the “dual existential threat” of Iran’s nuclear programme and missiles during its strikes.

Netanyahu claimed that Israel’s attack on Iran, named “Operation Rising Lion”, would be “recorded in the annals of Israel’s wars, and will be studied by armies all over the world.”

It included repeated strikes on Iran’s nuclear and missile sites, assassinations of military and domestic security service leaders, as well as the bombing of state media and Evin prison in Tehran.

After the United States joined in the conflict with strikes on Sunday, President Donald Trump said his forces had “totally obliterated” Iran’s main nuclear sites.

Analysts said, however, that it remained unclear whether the strikes had put the nuclear threat out of reach, with the possibility that Iran had moved its stockpiles of highly enriched uranium away from the targeted sites.

Tehran has always denied seeking a nuclear weapon.