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Nigerian Owners Of Taste Africana, Three Children Face Deportation From UK Over Visa Fees

Published

2 years ago

August 17, 2024

Cynthia and Bright Chinule, with three children, a Nigerian family based in Leigh, the United Kingdom, UK, fears they will be kicked out of the country if they don’t raise enough money to pay for new visas. Their visas expire in 11 days.

The couple, who run Taste Africana, a popular restaurant in the town, say they have just over two weeks to raise just under £26,000 or they could be forced to return to Nigeria after six years of building a life in England.

Their financial troubles began last year after the roof of the first building their restaurant was based in suddenly caved in just two months after opening.

Luckily, they were able to find a new home just minutes away on Market Street, where they have been operating since November 11.

However, according to Bright, the financial effects mean they have been unable to keep on top of the rising cost of living, visa fees, and immigration health surcharge payments, which is a fee paid by migrants who live in the UK for more than six months.

“They’ve put up the immigration charges, health insurance used to be around £300 per year,” explained Bright.

“It’s gone all the way up to around £1,800 per person, per year. Think about me who’s got a family of five. If I add visa application fees and lawyer fees it brings everything to up to around £26k.

“The visa expires in 12 days (11 days today) so we need to at least put in an application the night before. At this stage we just don’t have the money to do that.

“The target is to get enough money to get the whole visa thing fixed to give us some peace of mind. The idea that there is a possibility of being kicked out after six years of work has drained all the peace out of me. It takes a huge toll on you, honestly.”

‘How we started’

Before opening, Taste Africana was ‘Home Food UK’, an online takeaway operating from Cynthia and Bright’s kitchen at their home on Glebe Street, after the couple moved to the area in 2021 to raise their young family.

A former maths teacher, Cynthia was the first to suggest going into the food sector when she was on maternity leave and realised she wouldn’t be able to go back to work as a teaching assistant and look after their children.

She started Home Food UK, which proved a big hit. With two master’s degrees and a career in the NHS, Bright also took the leap to support Cynthia in running Taste Africana.

But the family are now facing the possibility of restarting their lives in Nigeria should they fail to submit applications before the deadline after six years of trying to build something in the UK.

Seeks help

To help with the fees, the Chinules went on the internet to solicit funds as a last resort. Bright created a GoFundMe to raise the £25,620 with hopes that his past generosity will pay forward.

“I never thought I’d do this,” Bright wrote.

“As someone who has always tried to stand on my own, it’s not easy for me to ask for help. But with only 14 days left to secure the necessary funds, I’ve come to realize that I can’t do this alone.

“Over the years, I’ve tried to give back to the community in every way possible — offering hot meals to rough sleepers during the cold winter months, supporting struggling families with food donations, and more.

“And I promise to continue paying this kindness forward,” part of the GoFundMe read.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “Our visa fees have been informed by the principle that those who use and benefit from the immigration system should contribute towards the cost of operating it, reducing the level of UK taxpayer funding that would otherwise be required.”

Yahoo News

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‘Pioneer Of Cable TV News’: Key Facts About CNN Founder, Ted Turner

Published

1 week ago

May 9, 2026

Editor

Ted Turner, the media businessman who founded CNN died at the age of 87. He died peacefully on Wednesday, surrounded by family, according to Turner Enterprises.

Contents

Launched 24-hour news television

Built a media network

Expanded through sports

Recognition and influence

Philanthropy and global causes

Environmental efforts

Health and later years

Early career path

Leadership and legacy

Personal life

Exit from business

Family

Below are key facts about his life and impact:

Launched 24-hour news television

Turner founded CNN on June 1, 1980, introducing the first 24-hour news channel and changing how audiences follow global events.

Built a media network

He moved from billboards into broadcasting, turning an Atlanta TV station into a national superstation in 1976. His business later grew to include CNN International, TNT, Turner Classic Movies and Cartoon Network.

Expanded through sports

Turner invested in sports broadcasting and owned teams including the Atlanta Braves and the Atlanta Hawks, using television to reach wider audiences.

Recognition and influence

In 1991, he was named Time magazine’s Man of the Year for his role in shaping modern news coverage.

Philanthropy and global causes

He founded the United Nations Foundation and supported campaigns against nuclear weapons. In 1997, he pledged $1 billion to the United Nations.

Turner supported conservation work, including reintroducing bison in the United States, and backed environmental education through the “Captain Planet” cartoon.

Health and later years

In 2018, Turner revealed he had Lewy body dementia. He also recovered from a mild case of pneumonia in early 2025.

Early career path

He took over his father’s billboard company at 24 after his father’s death and later expanded into radio and television, despite limited experience in journalism.

“I worked until 7 o’clock, and when I got home the news was over,” he once said. “So I missed television news completely. And I figured there were lots of people like me.”

Leadership and legacy

“Ted was an intensely involved and committed leader, intrepid, fearless and always willing to back a hunch and trust his own judgement,” Mark Thompson, Chairman and CEO of CNN Worldwide, said in a statement. “He was and always will be the presiding spirit of CNN. Ted is the giant on whose shoulders we stand, and we will all take a moment today to recognize him and his impact on our lives and the world.”

Personal life

Turner married actress Jane Fonda in 1991, and they later divorced after 10 years, though they remained close.

“I would never love anyone like I love him,” she said. “But I just couldn’t keep moving in his world, along the surface for the rest of my life. I knew that I would get to the end of my life and regret not doing the things that I also needed to do for me.”

Exit from business

He sold his company to Time Warner in 1996 and later stepped away following its merger with AOL.

Reflecting on his life, Turner once said: “I lost Jane. I lost my job here. I lost my fortune, most of it. Got a billion or two left. You can get by on that if you economize.”

Family

He is survived by his five children, 14 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Headline

Iran’s Nationwide Internet Shutdown Hits 70 Days

Published

1 week ago

May 9, 2026

Editor

NetBlocks, a monitoring group, has disclosed that an internet shutdown enforced by the Iranian regime has entered its 70th day, severing key access from swathes of the population under the shadow of war.

NetBlocks reported on Friday that the blackout has now surpassed 1,656 hours, marking more than two months since US-Israeli strikes pounded Tehran and escalated across the Middle East.

“Digital connectivity is vital in times of crisis,” NetBlocks said in a post on X. “Limiting service harms those most in need – people with disabilities, students, small businesses and the general public.”

According to CNN, Iran imposed a separate internet shutdown on the country’s 92 million people earlier this year, when it launched the most lethal crackdown on anti-government protesters since the Islamic Republic’s founding 47 years ago.

CNN further reports that the latest blackout has cut off another potential lifeline for Iranian residents faced with high unemployment and economic pressure exacerbated by the US-Israeli campaign.

(CNN)

Headline

Gas Prices In US Edge Down After Two Weeks Of Increases

Published

1 week ago

May 9, 2026

Editor

The cost of a gallon of regular gas in the United States (US) has edged down a little more than a penny to $4.55.

According to AAA’s readings, this marks the first decline in the average gas price after 15 straight days of increases.

The decline is minuscule compared to the large increases in gas prices over the last two weeks.

According to CNN, gasoline costs rose an average of nearly 4 cents a day during that period and had several daily increases of between 7 and 9 cents.

Also Read: Trump insists US-Iran ceasefire intact despite recent exchange of fire

CNN also reports that based on past gas spikes, it will likely take weeks for gas prices to get down below $4 a gallon.

The report, however, states that a previous two-week stretch of gas price declines only shaved 14 cents off the average price, taking the average price to $4.02, before the recent 15-day run of increases.

According to CNN, it could take months for the average price to fall below $3 per gallon, as it did before the war in Iran.

CNN further reports that only one state – Oklahoma – now has an average price of less than $4 a gallon, and its average stands at $3.98. California has the highest average price at $6.16.

(CNN)