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PHOTOS: 10 Wonders Of The World And Countries To Find Them

Published

1 year ago

August 27, 2024

When you visit some countries, you will also want to enjoy the beautiful sight of the wonder sites they have. Of course, some countries possess some very monumental architectures that are awe-inspiring due to their natural or artificial ingenuity and originality—and, of course, their beautiful landscapes.

Below is a top-10 list of the greatest wonders in the world and the countries where they will be found.

The Great Barrier Reef (Australia)

The Great Barrier Reef, located off the coast of Queensland, is the biggest reef system in the world and is well-known for its crystal-clear water and visible coral formations from space. The Agincourt Reef lagoon is one of the best places on Earth to discover marine life and the beauty of nature, with its fragile ecosystem that is unmatched by any other place. It is also great for swimming and snorkeling. The Great Barrier Reef is the biggest coral reef system in the world, spanning over 2,300 kilometres over an area of over 344,400 square kilometres and made up of over 2,900 distinct reefs and 900 islands.

Mount Everest (Nepal)

One of the tallest and most famous mountains in the world, Mount Everest is situated on the boundary between Nepal and Tibet. The tectonic movements of the Indian and Asian plates are thought to have built the mountain range around 60 million years ago. This movement is responsible for the rocky summit’s annual growth of 0.25 inches. Several geographical reports have even confirmed Everest to be the tallest mountain in the world.

Taj Mahal (India)

With the help of 20,000 labourers, the Mughal Emperor Shahjahan constructed the Taj Mahal in remembrance of his adored wife, Mumtaj Mahal. The beautifully balanced structure which is one of the wonders of the world is situated on the Yamuna River’s banks among well-manicured gardens. Its marble facade is brilliant white throughout the day, reflecting rose and golden hues at sunrise and sunset. The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum made of ivory and white marble located in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India, on the Yamuna River’s right bank. In addition, Shah Jahan’s own tomb is located within this historic monument. The focal point of the 17-hectare (42-acre) compound is the tomb.

Victoria Fall (Zambia/Zimbabwe Boarder)

The Zambezi River’s Victoria Falls, which naturally divide Zambia and Zimbabwe, offer a breathtaking spectacle of breathtaking beauty and grandeur. The Kololo tribe that lived there referred to it as “Mosi-oa-Tunya,” or “The Smoke that Thunders,” because of the tremendous noise and spray that the rushing water produced. When considering both its width and height, Victoria Falls is presently regarded as the world’s largest water curtain.

Agra Fort (India)

You will be drawn to the Agra Fort’s exquisite sculptures and the pristine marbles that were employed in its construction. Agra Fort is a medieval fort located in India’s Agra city. Before Agra was replaced with Delhi as the capital in 1638, this served as the rulers of the Mughal Dynasty’s primary home. It is located roughly 2.5 kilometres northwest of the Taj Mahal, its more well-known sister monument. It would be more accurate to refer to the fort as a walled city.

Acropolis (Greece)

The most impressive and comprehensive ancient Greek colossal complex that is still standing today is the Acropolis in Athens. It is located on an average-height hill (156 meters) that rises within the Athens basin. Its overall measurements are roughly 170 by 350 meters. From 1834 onwards, the monuments have been gradually uncovered and returned to their original locations. Within the context of the Periclean building program, the principal visible monuments of the archaeological site were constructed in the second half of the 5th century B.C., during the Classical period.

Timbuktu (Mali)

A thriving trade route for ivory, gold, salt, and slaves passed through the enigmatic city of Timbuktu, which is a great wonder situated in Mali, West Africa, which is located close to the Niger River and the Sahara Desert. As the intellectual and spiritual centre of Islam, the Great Mosque, also known as the Djinguereber Mosque, is a significant venue for assembly and prayer today.

Effiel Tower (France)

Eiffel Tower, also known as la Tour Eiffel, is one of the wonders of the world, and represents the romanticism and inventiveness of the City of Light. It was intended to honour the anniversary of the French Revolution and showcase France’s contemporary economic might on the international scene as the focal point of the 1889 World’s Fair. Alexandre Gustave Eiffel constructed the Eiffel Tower in honour of the French Revolution’s 100th anniversary. The original drawing of the Eiffel Tower was created by two less well-known individuals, despite Gustave Eiffel being given credit for its creation. These individuals were Emile Nouguier and Maurice Koechlin. The two persons in question were the lead engineers at Eiffel’s engineering company.

Great Pyramid of Giza (Egypt)

With a history spanning nearly 5,000 years, the Egyptian pyramid is the sole surviving ancient wonder on the initial list. Enter one of the Royal Burial Chambers to view Cheops’s funerary boat. When you enter, you will marvel at the enormous statue known as the Great Sphinx of Giza, which was carved out of a single piece of stone. Of the three pyramids at Giza, the Great Pyramid is the biggest.

Great Wall of China (China)

One of the wonders of the world is the Great Wall of China, which is the longest man-made barrier in the world, spanning 20,000 km from the Yellow Sea in the east to the Gobi Desert in the west. It is up to 14 meters high and seven meters broad. Due to the enormous size of the old barrier, Qin Shihuang was able to keep out northern invaders by connecting walls from lesser kingdoms and building new portions with a workforce of up to a million people.

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Nigerian Jailed Six Years In U.S. For Sextortion

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1 hour ago

November 16, 2025

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Imoleayo Samuel Aina, also known as “Alice Dave,” a 27-year-old Nigerian national, has been sentenced to six years in federal prison following his conviction on multiple charges connected to the sexual extortion and subsequent death of a young man in Pennsylvania.

The sentence, handed down by United States District Judge Joel H. Slomsky, includes 72 months of incarceration, five years of supervised release, and a restitution payment of $3,250. Aina had earlier pleaded guilty to cyberstalking, interstate threats to injure reputation, receiving proceeds of extortion, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and wire fraud.

Aina and his co-defendant, Samuel Olasunkanmi Abiodun, were initially arrested in Nigeria in July 2024 and subsequently extradited to the United States. Another co-defendant, Afeez Olatunji Adewale, remains in Nigeria pending extradition. Abiodun, 26, was sentenced to five years in June 2025 for his role in money laundering and wire fraud related to the same sextortion scheme.

U.S. Attorney David Metcalf described Aina as “the driving force behind this sextortion scheme, which left a young man, and then his family, traumatised.” He added, “The Department of Justice won’t just stand by when innocent victims in the U.S. are harmed by criminal scammers overseas. As this case shows, we can — and we will — find, prosecute, and hold accountable these insidious sextortionists who terrorise people for money.”

Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Field Office, emphasised the wider message of the prosecution. “This case is a powerful reminder of the profound harm sextortion inflicts on young people and their families, and of our unwavering commitment to pursuing those who perpetrate it.

“Whether you are in the United States or operating from abroad, the FBI and our partners will relentlessly pursue you. If you exploit our youth, we will bring you to justice.”

The investigation, conducted jointly by the FBI and the Abington Township Police Department, was supported by multiple international and Nigerian authorities, including Nigeria’s Attorney General, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, and the Ministry of Justice’s International Criminal Justice Cooperation Department.

Aina’s co-defendants played complementary roles in the scheme. Abiodun functioned as the financial intermediary, while Adewale, who remains in Nigeria, faces charges of money laundering conspiracy and wire fraud.

Assistant United States Attorney Patrick Brown, prosecuting the case, noted the international collaboration required to secure Aina’s extradition and conviction. “This prosecution demonstrates that national borders do not shield those who exploit and defraud others. Those who choose to target the vulnerable should understand that justice will reach them, regardless of location,” he said.

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UK Ends Automatic Benefits For Asylum Seekers In Major Reform

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1 hour ago

November 16, 2025

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Britain’s interior minister on Sunday defended plans to drastically reduce protections for refugees and end automatic benefits for asylum seekers, insisting that irregular migration was “tearing our country apart”.

The measures, modelled on Denmark’s strict asylum system, aim to stop thousands of migrants from arriving in England from northern France on small boats — crossings that are fuelling support for the anti-immigrant Reform UK party.

But the proposals were criticised as “harsh and unnecessary” by the Refugee Council charity and are likely to be opposed by left-wing lawmakers within Prime Minister Keir Starmer‘s embattled Labour government.

“I really reject this idea that dealing with this problem is somehow engaging in far-right talking points,” Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood told BBC television.

“This is a moral mission for me, because I can see illegal migration is tearing our country apart, it is dividing communities.”

Presently, those given refugee status have it for five years, after which they can apply for indefinite leave to remain and eventually citizenship.

But Mahmood’s ministry, known as the Home Office, said it would cut the length of refugee status to 30 months.

That protection will be “regularly reviewed” and refugees will be forced to return to their home countries once they are deemed safe, it added.

The ministry also said that it intended to make those refugees who were granted asylum wait 20 years before applying to be allowed to live in the UK long-term, up from the current five years.

It also announced that it would create “new safe and legal routes for genuine refugees” through “capped work and study routes”.

Asylum claims in Britain are at a record high, with some 111,000 applications made in the year to June 2025, according to official figures.

The Home Office called the new proposals, which Mahmood will lay out in parliament on Monday, the “largest overhaul of asylum policy in modern times”.

It said the reforms would make it less attractive for irregular migrants to come to Britain, and make it easier to remove those already in the country.

– Benefits crackdown –

A statutory legal duty to provide support to asylum seekers, introduced in a 2005 law, would also be revoked, the Home Office said.

That means housing and weekly financial allowances would no longer be guaranteed for asylum seekers.
It would be “discretionary”, meaning the government could deny assistance to any asylum seeker who could work or support themselves but did not, or those who committed crimes.

Starmer, elected in July 2024, is under pressure to stop migrants crossing the Channel in small boats from France, something that also troubled his Conservative predecessors.

More than 39,000 people, many fleeing conflict, have arrived this year following such dangerous journeys — more than for the whole of 2024 but lower than the record set in 2022.

Reform, led by firebrand Nigel Farage, has led Labour by double-digit margins in opinion polls for most of this year.

Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, urged the government to rethink its plans, saying they “will not deter” the crossings.

“They should ensure that refugees who work hard and contribute to Britain can build secure, settled lives and give back to their communities,” he said.

Labour is taking inspiration from Denmark’s coalition government — led by the centre-left Social Democrats — which has implemented some of the strictest migration policies in Europe.

Senior British officials recently visited the Scandinavian country, where successful asylum claims are at a 40-year-low.

Refugees in Denmark are entitled to a one-year renewable residency permit, and are encouraged to return home as soon as authorities deem there is no longer a need for a safe haven.

Family reunions are also subject to strict requirements, including a minimum age for both parents, language tests and guarantees of funds.

Labour’s more left-wing lawmakers will probably oppose the plans, fearing that the party is losing voters to progressive alternatives such as the Greens.

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Overcrowding, Security Lapses Plague Nigerian Prisons —EU

Published

4 hours ago

November 16, 2025

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A report by the European Union Agency for Asylum has revealed that Nigeria’s custodial centres are battling “escalating security challenges.”

The report, sighted by Sunday PUNCH, was published in November 2025. It documented a decade-long pattern of prison escapes in the country, explaining why the custodial centres are confronting rising jailbreaks, citing persistent security lapses.

“Over the past decade, Nigeria has experienced a pattern of prison jailbreaks, resulting in thousands of inmates escaping correctional facilities nationwide,” the report noted.

Highlighting systemic weaknesses, the report cited overcrowding, structural deficiencies, and chronic underfunding as major contributors to the problem.

“One incident occurred in March 2025, when 12 inmates escaped from the Koton Karfe Medium Security Custodial Centre in Kogi State. Only five were recaptured.

“This marked the fourth jailbreak at this facility in 13 years, where nearly 700 inmates have fled, including about 100 freed during a 2012 Boko Haram attack,” it stated.

Observers attribute the recurring breakouts to “security gaps, together with possible insider complicity, which exacerbate the prisons’ vulnerabilities, especially amid attacks by armed groups like Boko Haram.”

Beyond security concerns, the report said overcrowding and poor infrastructure continued to strain the country’s correctional system.

“The country’s more than 240 prisons currently house over 80,000 inmates, with two-thirds awaiting trial.

“The observers also point to systemic issues such as overcrowding, outdated infrastructure, poor inmate conditions, slow judicial processes, and widespread corruption,” the report said.

“International bodies have also criticised the state of Nigeria’s detention system,” it stated.

Following a September 2024 visit, the United Nations Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture described conditions in detention centres as “abysmal,” citing inadequate food, healthcare, and sanitation.

“Their assessment described conditions in most detention facilities as ‘abysmal.’ Additionally, Nigeria had not yet established a National Preventive Mechanism as required under the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture, which Nigeria ratified in 2009.

“The Subcommittee called on Nigeria to urgently implement measures to prevent torture and ill-treatment, improve detention conditions—particularly in police stations and similar facilities—and enforce legal safeguards to end impunity for perpetrators of torture,” the report read.

The report also raised concerns over the continued use of the death penalty.

It added, “In Nigeria, the death penalty is a ‘lawful punishment’ imposed nationwide, including for offences that do not meet the threshold of ‘most serious crimes’ under international law.

“Although no executions have been carried out since 2016, courts across the country still regularly issue death sentences. In 2023, Nigerian courts issued over 246 new death sentences, raising the total number of individuals on death row to more than 3,413.”

In May 2024, the Senate proposed a bill to increase the maximum penalty for drug trafficking from life imprisonment to death, a move that has faced opposition from various stakeholders, including legislators, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime country representative, as well as activists and legal professionals.

“Such a proposal has reignited debate over the continued use of the death penalty in the country, with some authorities questioning the sustainability of retaining capital punishment.

“Further, although legal provisions allow for commutation of sentences by governors or chief judges after extended incarceration, inconsistencies in application have left many inmates in legal limbo,” said the report.

The Nigerian Correctional Service revealed in July 2025 that the country had 3,833 inmates on death row.

The report further stated that the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights has urged Nigeria to “impose a moratorium on executions, a stance supported by the European Union and United Nations.”

It added that the detention conditions remained “harsh,” falling short of United Nations minimum standards for prisoner treatment.

Media reports and information from the Nigerian Correctional Service website indicated that thousands of inmates have escaped from 13 custodial facilities between 2019 and 2025, including many awaiting trial for serious offences such as terrorism and armed robbery.

In response to the ongoing wave of jailbreaks that has plagued custodial centres nationwide over the past years, the Controller General of the Nigerian Correctional Service, Sylvester Nwakuche, recently vowed to enforce strict disciplinary action against any officers found to have been negligent.