Headline
UK Joins Other Nations In Pulling Embassy Staff From Iran
Published
1 month agoon
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Editor
Britain on Friday withdrew its embassy staff from Iran, following in the footsteps of other European nations as well as Australia and New Zealand amid the conflict with Israel.
“Due to the current security situation, we have taken the precautionary measure to temporarily withdraw our UK staff from Iran,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
“Our embassy continues to operate remotely,” it added.
On the eighth day of the war between Iran and Israel, the British ministry said it continued to call for de-escalation between the two sides.
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But the statement added: “We take the protection of our staff and British nationals extremely seriously and we have long advised against all travel to Iran.”
Earlier Friday, Australia also shuttered its Tehran embassy and ordered officials to leave the country, Sydney said, citing a “deteriorating security situation”.
Both countries join a string of nations closing diplomatic missions in Iran since Israel launched air strikes a week ago, claiming its arch enemy was on the verge of developing a nuclear weapon.
Australia has directed all its officials and their dependents to leave Iran, and suspended its Tehran embassy operations, Foreign Minister Penny Wong told a news conference in Adelaide.
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“This is not a decision taken lightly. It is a decision based on the deteriorating security environment in Iran,” she said.
Wong said there were about 2,000 Australians and family members registered in Iran who wanted to depart, and another 1,200 in Israel.
Other nations that have suspended Tehran embassy operations include Bulgaria, Czech Republic, New Zealand, Portugal, and Switzerland.
Switzerland said it was temporarily closing its diplomatic mission in the Iranian capital, but would continue to fulfil is role in representing US interests in Iran.
READ ALSO: Iran TV Urges Deletion Of WhatsApp, Alleges It Shares Data With Israel
“In view of the intensity of military operations in Iran and the highly unstable situation on the ground, the FDFA has decided to temporarily close the Swiss embassy in Tehran,” the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs said.
European powers meanwhile met with Iranian officials in Geneva on Friday, and hoped to offer “a diplomatic solution”, according to French President Emmanuel Macron.
Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy said “a window now exists within the next two weeks to achieve a diplomatic solution”, while agreeing with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio that “Iran can never develop or acquire a nuclear weapon”.
AFP
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Headline
We’ll Deny You Visa If You’re Traveling To Give Birth, US Tells Nigerians
Published
5 days agoon
July 28, 2025By
Editor
The United States Mission in Nigeria has warned Nigerians planning to travel to the US primarily to give birth to secure American citizenship for their children.
In a post on X, the US Mission stated that using a visa for the main purpose of childbirth is prohibited under US immigration policy.
“Using your visa to travel for the primary purpose of giving birth in the United States so that your child will have U.S. citizenship is not permitted. Consular officers will deny your visa application if they have reason to believe this is your intent,” the US Mission said.
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This warning is coming following the rising scrutiny of visa applications and growing enforcement around what is informally referred to as “birth tourism”, the practice of traveling to the US to give birth so the child obtains automatic citizenship.
Recall that the United States Department of State had also revised its visa reciprocity policy, announcing that most non-immigrant, non-diplomatic visas issued to Nigerian citizens will now be single-entry visas with a three-month validity period.
The US maintained that its visa policies are based on global technical and security benchmarks aimed at protecting the integrity of its immigration systems.
Headline
Three Dead, Several Injured As Train Derails In Germany
Published
5 days agoon
July 28, 2025By
Editor
Three people were killed and several others injured when a regional passenger train derailed in a wooded area in southwestern Germany on Sunday, police said.
About 100 passengers were aboard the train, when the accident occurred at around 6:10 pm (1610 GMT) near the town of Riedlingen in Baden-Wuerttemberg state.
Contacted by AFP, police initially said four people had been killed before correcting their statement to three victims.
Authorities declined to elaborate on the number of injured or how seriously hurt they were, though tabloid Bild cited emergency workers saying there were 50 injured.
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German rail operator Deutsche Bahn confirmed several deaths and numerous injured. Two train carriages had derailed “for reasons yet unknown”, it added.
Authorities were currently investigating the circumstances of the accident, the operator said, and traffic had been suspended over a 40-kilometre (25-mile) stretch of the route.
German media reported that a landslide might have caused the accident as severe storms swept through the region, according to weather services.
The passenger train was travelling from the German town of Sigmaringen to the city of Ulm when it derailed in a forested area.
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– Outdated train infrastructure –
In a post on social media, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed his condolences to the families of those killed.
He added that he was in close contact with both the interior and transport ministers, and had asked them to “provide the emergency services with all the support they need”.
Footage from the scene of the accident showed yellow-and-grey-coloured train carriages lying on their sides, as firefighters and emergency services tried to get to the passengers.
According to local TV station SWR, helicopters arrived shortly after the accident to transport the injured to hospitals in the area, and emergency doctors from nearby hospitals were alerted.
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German transport is regularly criticised by passengers for its outdated infrastructure, with travellers facing frequent train delays, and various technical problems.
The government has pledged to invest several hundred billion euros over the next few years, in particular to modernise infrastructure.
In June 2022, a train derailed near a Bavarian Alpine resort in southern Germany, killing four people and injuring dozens.
Germany’s deadliest rail accident happened in 1998 when a high-speed train operated by state-owned Deutsche Bahn derailed in Eschede in Lower Saxony, killing 101 people.
AFP

At least 11 people were injured in a stabbing at a Walmart store in the Midwestern state of Michigan on Saturday, with police saying it appeared to be a random attack.
A 42-year-old male suspect was in custody, Grand Traverse County Sheriff Michael Shea told a press conference.
“Based on the information that we have at this time, it appears they were random acts,” Shea said of the attack in Traverse City, Michigan.
“The victims were not predetermined,” Shea said, adding that the suspect, a Michigan resident, apparently acted alone and used a “folding knife.”
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Six victims were in critical condition late Saturday, and five were in serious condition, Munson Healthcare said in a statement.
At least three of the victims were undergoing surgery, according to Shea. The victims included six men and five women.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said she was in touch with law enforcement regarding the “horrible news.”
“Our thoughts are with the victims and the community reeling from this brutal act of violence,” Whitmer said in an X post.
READ ALSO:Woman Stabs 80-year-old Trader To Death In Ogun Market
Eyewitness Julia Martell told The New York Times she heard screaming and saw a man with a knife running through the store’s pharmacy section.
Martell said she saw the man shoving and stabbing people as he moved through the store.
The 30-year-old witness described seeing three people with stab wounds and “blood everywhere.”
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Shea said the stabbing spree initially started near the checkout area of the store.
“It is very uncommon for our area,” he said of the violence, adding that citizens in the Walmart “assisted” in apprehending the suspect.
Traverse City is a popular tourist destination located on the shore of Lake Michigan.
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said agents were providing “any necessary support to the Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s Office in their investigation of the attacks at the Walmart.”
AFP
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