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US exempts Nigeria from $15,000 visa bond imposed on travellers
- 15 African nations affected
The United States has imposed a $15,000 bond on tourist and business travellers from 24 countries with high overstay rate in 2019.
The list, which excludes Nigeria, includes 15 African nations such as Libya, Liberia and Angola.
Nigerian is not on the list as its overall score was said to be below the threshold of 10 per cent and above overstaying rate.
The new rule requires travellers to the US from the affected countries to pay a bond from $5,000 to $15,000 with effect from December 24.
The programme runs through June 24 and targets countries whose nationals have higher rates of overstaying B-2 visas for tourists and B-1 visas for business travellers.
A Department of Home Security report shows the worst offenders were typically from Chad (44.94 per cent), Djibouti (37.91 per cent), and Mauritania (30.49 per cent).
Other African countries affected are Angola, Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Libya, Sudan, Sao Tome and Principe, Cape Verde and Burundi.
The list also includes Iran at 21.64 per cent and Afghanistan at 11.99 per cent, as well as Bhutan, Laos, Afghanistan, Iran, Syria and Yemen.
According to the DHS, out of 177,835 Nigerians who visited the US in 2019, 17,566 overstayed, of which 764 departed late and 16,802 stayed in the country.
The overstaying rate was put at between 9.45-9.88 per cent but in other classifications, 11.12 per cent of 9,336 Nigerian non-immigrant and exchange visitors overstayed.
Another 13.67 per cent of in-scope nonimmigrant visitors also overstayed same year.
A report by Reuters quoted the Trump administration as noting that the six-month pilot programme aimed to test the feasibility of collecting such bonds and would serve as a diplomatic deterrence to overstaying the visas.
Trump, who lost a re-election bid earlier this month, made restricting immigration a central part of his four-year term in office.
President-elect Joe Biden, a Democrat, has pledged to reverse many of the Republican president’s immigration policies, but untangling hundreds of changes could take months or years.
Uncategorized
BREAKING: Adeleke finally pardons ‘fowl thief’ Segun Olowookere
BREAKING: Adeleke Finally Pardons ‘Fowl Thief’ Segun Olowookere
Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State has granted the prerogative of mercy to Segun Olowookere, a young man convicted of armed robbery and sentenced to death by an Ogun State High Court in 2014.
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Olowookere was pardoned alongside Sunday Morakinyo and 51 others convicted of simple and serious offences on Thursday.
Uncategorized
Lagos-Calabar coastal road: Train track work begins 2025, says minister
Lagos-Calabar coastal road: Train track work begins 2025, says minister
The Federal Government plans to begin constructing train tracks on Section I of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway in 2025.
The Minister of Works, David Umahi, made this announcement during an inspection of Sections I and II of the project, which are located within Lagos and being handled by Hitech Construction Company Ltd, on Friday, December 20, 2024.
The details of the announcement were published in a statement on the ministry’s official website on Saturday.
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“The President has given very serious attention to road infrastructure. Don’t forget that this Coastal Highway and, of course, the four Legacy Projects all have the train track incorporated. The construction of the train track for this section I is going to take off in 2025,” Umahi stated.
The Works Minister outlined plans to enhance the Lagos-Calabar Highway in Sections I and II of Phase 1, including solar-powered CCTV cameras, lay-bys every 5-15 kilometers, and security posts for improved safety and monitoring.
He announced that 20 kilometers of Section 1 are scheduled for commissioning by May 2025. The Federal Controller of Works, Engr. Olukorede Kashia, noted challenges such as large refuse dumps and unsuitable soil conditions requiring extensive remediation during the project.
Lagos-Calabar coastal road: Train track work begins 2025, says minister
Entertainment
Copyright: Court orders Adele’s song removed from platforms
Copyright: Court orders Adele’s song removed from platforms
A Brazilian court has ordered the removal of Adele’s 2015 song Million Years Ago from radio and streaming platforms worldwide following a copyright lawsuit filed by local composer Toninho Geraes.
The ruling, delivered by Judge Victor Torres, comes after Geraes accused the British singer of copying his 1996 classic Mulheres, originally performed by Brazilian artist Martinho da Vila.
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Geraes claims the track from Adele’s album 25 closely mirrors his 1995 composition, demanding recognition and compensation for the alleged infringement.
In the lawsuit, Geraes is seeking $160,000 in moral damages, lost royalties, and a songwriting credit on Adele’s track.
The court has also imposed a fine of $8,000 per act of non-compliance on the Brazilian subsidiaries of Sony Music and Universal Music Group.
Copyright: Court orders Adele’s song removed from platforms
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