By ESTHER McWILLIS-IKHIDE US President Donald Trump has raised the H-1B visa application fee to $100,000, a move expected to shake the tech industry heavily reliant on foreign talent, especially from India. Announced alongside a new $1 million “gold card” residency program, the order takes effect Sunday and lasts a year, with possible extensions. Trump […]
By ANITA KNIGHT WORLD Cup merchandise producers in China’s Yiwu hub are facing sluggish demand as trade tensions with the U.S. unsettle buyers. Factories like Yiwu Wells Knitting Product, long-time suppliers of scarves and sports accessories, report only small orders so far, with larger deals stalled due to tariff uncertainty. Typically flooded with international requests […]
By ANITA KNIGHT BRITISH High Commissioner to Nigeria, Richard Montgomery, has described Nigeria as one of the biggest beneficiaries of Britain’s exit from the European Union (Brexit), citing gains in migration, education, and trade opportunities. During an interview, Montgomery said the post-Brexit visa regime had significantly increased opportunities for Nigerians to live, work, and study […]
By NINI NDUONOFIT-AKOH TWO 17-year-old boys in Shanghai have been ordered to pay 2.2 million yuan ($309,000) after urinating into a pot of broth at a Haidilao hotpot restaurant and posting the act online. The February incident sparked public outrage, though no diners consumed the contaminated soup. Haidilao compensated more than 4,000 customers with refunds […]
AS U.S.–China tensions reshape global trade, countries across the Global South are learning to balance both powers without being trapped in their rivalry. Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina are showing that a middle path is possible—and their strategies carry lessons for Nigeria. Brazil plays “bridge-builder,” deepening ties with China through massive trade and investment while keeping […]
DOHA has become the focal point of the Arab and Muslim world as leaders, ministers, and dignitaries converge for an emergency summit of the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). The high-stakes gathering, which opened on Monday, follows last week’s Israeli strike in the Qatari capital that killed five Hamas members and […]
THE Central African Republic (CAR) is entering a decisive period ahead of its December 2025 general elections, with President Faustin-Archange Touadéra seemingly in a position of strength. Yet beneath the veneer of stability lies a troubling question: has the country’s reliance on foreign support created a false sense of security? Since his controversial re-election in […]
CHINA and the United States reopened high-stakes trade talks in Madrid on Monday, as the world’s two largest economies struggle to resolve disputes over tariffs and technology that have roiled global markets. The negotiations resumed at Spain’s foreign ministry, a day after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng launched the […]
THE foreign ministers of the United States, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates have held high-level consultations aimed at resolving Sudan’s two-year civil war, pledging stronger international efforts to restore peace and stability in the country. The talks, convened at the invitation of the United States, produced a joint statement outlining a shared […]
NIGERIA has joined 141 other nations in endorsing the New York Declaration on the Two-State Solution, a UN-backed framework aimed at resolving the long-standing conflict between Israel and Palestine. The endorsement came during a session of the UN General Assembly in New York on Friday, where 142 of the 193 member states voted in favour […]