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FULL LIST: Not American Or British, See 2024 World’s Most Powerful Passports

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Henley Passport Index has listed the most powerful passports in the world on Thursday.

HPI is a global passport-ranking website with an original, authoritative ranking of all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa.

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Their index is often based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) – the largest, most accurate travel information database – and enhanced by Henley & Partners’ research team.

According to the passport ranking website, four European countries have moved up to share the top spot on the 2024 index.

“Residents of France, Germany, Italy, and Spain now have visa-free access to 194 of 227 destinations, three more than last year.

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READ ALSO: FULL LIST: 45 Visa-free Countries Nigerians Passport Can Travel To In 2024

“South Korea, Sweden, and Finland all climbed one spot to take joint second place, with access to 193 locations. Austria, Denmark, Ireland, and the Netherlands shared third place, allowing travel to 192 places.”

“The U.K. now ranks joint fourth (access to 191 destinations), while the U.S. retained joint seventh place (188 destinations). A decade ago, the two countries shared the top spot. And comparing this year’s list to the 2014 ranking reveals some other major shifts.”

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A report by Times revealed that: “The United Arab Emirates was the fastest climber over the past decade, jumping to 11th place and offering access to 183 destinations without a visa. And China, up two spots this year to land in 62nd place, has visa-free access to 85 destinations — almost twice as many as 10 years ago.”

It added that the chairman of immigration consultancy Henley & Partners, Dr. Christian Kaelin, said that while the general trend over the years had been toward greater travel freedom, the gap between those at either end of the list was wider than ever.

READ ALSO: Facts To Know About The Africa Cup Of Nations

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“The average number of destinations travelers are able to access visa-free has nearly doubled from 58 in 2006 to 111 in 2024,” he said.

However, as we enter the new year, the top-ranked countries are now able to travel to a staggering 166 more destinations visa-free than Afghanistan, which sits at the bottom of the ranking with access to just 28 countries without a visa.”

Recall that for the past five years, Singapore and Japan have boasted the world’s most powerful travel documents, granting their citizens access to more countries without a prior visa than anyone else.

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See the full list below:

France
Germany
Italy
Japan
Singapore
Spain
Finland
South Korea
Sweden
Austria
Denmark
Ireland
Netherlands
Belgium
Luxembourg
Norway
Netherlands
United Kingdom
Greece
Malta
Switzerland
Australia
Czechia
New Zealand
Poland
Canada
Hungary
United States
Estonia
Lithuania
Latvia
Slovakia
Slovenia
Iceland
United Arab Emirates
Cyprus
Liechtenstein
Malaysia
Bulgaria
Croatia
Romania
Monaco
Chile
Argentina
Brazil
San Marino
Andorra
Hong Kong (SAR China)
Brunei
Israel
Barbados
Mexico
Bahamas
St. Kitts and Nevis
St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Vatican City
Seychelles
Uruguay
Antigua and Barbuda
Costa Rica
Trinidad and Tobago
Mauritius
Panama
Grenada
St. Lucia
Ukraine
Paraguay
Dominica
Macao (SAR China)
Taiwan (Chinese Taipei)
Peru
Serbia
Guatemala
El Salvador
Columbia
Honduras
Solomon Islands
Samoa
Nicaragua
Tonga
Tuvalu
North Macedonia
Marshall Islands
Montenegro
Venezuela
Kiribati
Albania
Micronesia
Palau Islands
Moldova
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Georgia
Russian Federation
Türkiye
Qatar
South Africa
Belize
Kuwait
Timor-Leste
Ecuador
Maldives
Vanuatu
Bahrain
Botswana
Fiji
Guyana
Jamaica
Nauru
Oman
Saudi Arabia
China
Papua New Guinea
Bolivia
Thailand
Belarus
Suriname
Lesotho
Namibia
eSwatini
Indonesia
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Malawi
Dominican Republic
Kosovo
Tanzania
Azerbaijan
Morocco
Tunisia
Zambia
The Gambia
Cape Verde Islands
Philippines
Uganda
Armenia
Sierra Leone
Ghana
Rwanda
Zimbabwe
Kyrgyzstan
Cuba
Benin
Mongolia
Mozambique
India
Uzbekistan
Gabon
Sao Tome and Principe
Tajikistan
Burkina Faso
Madagascar
Cote d’Ivoire
Guinea
Mauritania
Togo
Equatorial Guinea
Senegal
Niger
Algeria
Cambodia
Guinea-Bissau
Mali
Bhutan
Central African Republic
Chad
Comoro Islands
Egypt
Haiti
Jordan
Vietnam
Angola
Cameroon
Congo (Rep)
Turkmenistan
Burundi
Laos
Liberia
Djibouti
Myanmar
Ethiopia
Congo (Dem. Rep.)
South Sudan
Iran
Lebanon
Nigeria
Sudan
Eritrea
Sri Lanka
Bangladesh
North Korea
Libya
Nepal
Palestinian Territory
Somalia
Yemen
Pakistan
Iraq
Syria
Afghanistan

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US To Revoke Student Visas For Those Who Skip Classes, Programmes

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The United States has issued a warning to international students regarding the consequences of violating student visa regulations.

In a message shared via its official X handle on Monday, the US Mission in Nigeria stressed that students who drop out, skip classes, or leave their academic programmes without notifying their schools risk having their US student visas revoked.

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Such actions could also lead to disqualification from obtaining future US visas, it stated.

READ ALSO:9 Most-requested Documents For Work Visas

The mission advised all student visa holders to strictly adhere to the terms of their visas and maintain their academic status to avoid any immigration issues.

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If you drop out, skip classes, or leave your programmes of study without informing your school, your student visa may be revoked, and you may lose eligibility for future US visas.

“Always adhere to the terms of your visa and maintain your student status to avoid any issues,” the mission noted.

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Fake Labubu Dolls Worth Millions Seized In London Raid Amid Growing Safety Fears

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Thousands of fake Labubu dolls believed to be worth millions of pounds have been seized at an industrial estate on the outskirts of London following a major crackdown led by Trading Standards and law enforcement agencies.

The operation, which followed weeks of investigation, traced the fake merchandise from a corner shop in Swansea, south Wales, to a warehouse complex in London.

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Officers discovered rooms stacked floor-to-ceiling with fake goods, but it was the imitation Labubu dolls at the centre of a viral TikTok craze that drew the most concern.

The dolls, produced by popular toy company Pop Mart, have surged in global demand, with some genuine pieces retailing for up to £80. The popularity of the brand helped the company double its revenue to £1.33 billion last year, according to Forbes. However, authorities say the boom has also attracted criminal enterprises looking to profit from the trend through counterfeit production.

READ ALSO:‘This Is Why I Hate London’, Ivan Toney Fumes After His Car Is Broken Into

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“The head comes off. The feet pull off. The eyes aren’t glued in,” said Rhys Harries, a Trading Standards officer, while examining one of the seized dolls. “These are clear choking hazards.”

Using a plastic tool modelled after a child’s throat, Harries demonstrated how easily parts of the fake dolls could become life-threatening. “These parts would get stuck and potentially cause choking,” he warned.

The scale of the operation was alarming. Border Force officials say they have intercepted hundreds of thousands of fake Labubu dolls at UK ports in recent months, with many traced back to manufacturers in China, Hong Kong, and Turkey.

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In one case, a mother from Caerphilly, Jade, recounted how fake Labubu dolls she bought for her six-year-old son Harri’s birthday began falling apart within hours. “The hook came off and ended up in his mouth,” she said. “Luckily he was old enough to spit it out and tell me.”

READ ALSO:Bank CEO Beaten To Death In London

Despite knowing the dolls were fakes, Jade said she bought them due to the high cost of the original ones and peer pressure from other children. She got the knock-offs for just over £10 each.

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Authorities say the rush to cash in on the craze has led to the use of substandard and potentially dangerous materials, including toxic plastics. Kate Caffery, deputy director of intelligence and law enforcement at the UK’s Intellectual Property Office, said counterfeiting is the second most lucrative source of criminal income worldwide, after drug trafficking.

“There’s a complete disregard for safety,” Caffery said. “They’re made from anything from the inferior to the outright dangerous.”

READ ALSO:Nigeria’s Uche Nnaji’s Car Burgled At London Carpark, Rolex, Foreign Currency, Others Carted Away

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TikTok collector and plush toy enthusiast Meg Goldberger, 27, said she struggled to find genuine dolls due to scalpers bulk-buying authentic stock and reselling them at inflated prices. “They sell out in seconds,” she said. “Some resellers are using bots to buy hundreds at once.”

Investigators found invoice books showing the dolls were destined for locations across the UK. Some of the seized dolls will be used as evidence, while the rest will be stored in a secure location before being recycled or destroyed.

Pop Mart has been contacted for comment on the counterfeit issue, which authorities say is now a national concern.

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Young Catholics Converge On Rome For Pope Leo’s Vigil

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Thousands of young Catholics began assembling Saturday for an evening prayer vigil led by Pope Leo XIV, the culmination of a week-long pilgrimage and a key event in the Jubilee holy year that is expected to draw up to a million people.

The “Jubilee of Youth” — when the Vatican invites Catholics aged 18 to 35 to the seat of the global Church’s power — has seen young pilgrims from around the world flood Rome, waving flags, singing or praying in groups.

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It comes nearly three months after Leo, 69, the first American pontiff, began his papacy, and 25 years after the last such massive youth gathering in Rome under Poland’s Pope John Paul II.

On Saturday morning, thousands of young pilgrims had already gathered at the vast open space in Rome’s eastern Tor Vergata neighbourhood where the pope will lead the vigil, the ground already dotted with blankets and mattresses.

READ ALSO:Full List: 57 Lawyers Nominated For SAN Status

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Elsewhere in the Eternal City, numerous groups of young people were seen preparing to set off for the venue.

On the plaza outside the Basilica of St John Lateran, they filled water bottles, applied suncream and checked bags of food and snacks — ready to spend the next 24 hours surrounded by a swarm of people and then sleep under the stars.

Victoria Perez, who carried a Spanish flag, could not contain her excitement at seeing “the Pope up close.

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It’s the first time I’m going to see him, and I can’t wait,” the 21-year-old told AFP, excited to experience the “night of prayers under the stars”.

French pilgrim, Quentin Remaury, 26, said he had been inspired by the late Pope Francis’s rousing message to youth during a 2016 visit to Krakow, Poland.

READ ALSO:Gunmen Invade Catholic Seminary School In Edo, Kill One, Abduct Three

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Pope Francis told us to ‘get off your couches,’ and that really gave me a boost,” he said.

– ‘What is his message?’ –

Since the youth jubilee began on Monday, attendees have participated in various Church-planned events throughout the city.

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On Friday, approximately 1,000 priests were on hand to take confession at Circus Maximus, one of Rome’s top tourist spots.

Some 200 white gazebos lined the hippodrome where chariot races were once held, and youths lined up to speak to priests in 10 different languages.

Of the many languages heard on the streets of the Italian capital this week, Spanish seemed to dominate. The Vatican has said that more than 146 countries were represented, and it expects up to a million people to attend the vigil.

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The pilgrimage is taking place as economic uncertainty and anxiety over climate change rise among the under-30s, with many saying they were curious to hear the Church’s position on global warming, wars and economic inequalities.

Samarei Semos, 29, said she had travelled three days from her native Belize to get to Rome.

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“We are still trying to understand his leadership,” she said of the new pope, adding she hoped he would have a strong say about “third world countries”.

As Parisian student Alice Berry exclaimed, “What does he have to say to us? What is his message for young people?”

– Raising voices –

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The youth pilgrimage also comes amid global alarm over the humanitarian situation in Gaza, and more than three years of war in Ukraine.

READ ALSO:Pope Leo XIV Outlines A Path For A Modern Church That Follows Francis’ Steps

The Vatican has praised young Catholics who managed to travel to Rome from war-scarred countries, with Pope Leo saying the voices of the world’s youth “will be heard to the end of the earth”.

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In an unprecedented move, Leo hosted a mass on Tuesday for Catholic social media influencers, signalling the Vatican’s openness to supporting the Internet-savvy youth.

More than 4,300 volunteers will be working the event to welcome the young pilgrims, along with over 1,000 police, according to organisers.

Roman authorities have tightened security in the city — which has seen an unprecedented number of people, with both tourists and pilgrims inundating the city.

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