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25,000 People Sign Petition to Stop IELTS for Nigerians

Rhoda Onuzulike
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25,000 People Sign Petition to Stop IELTS for Nigerians

Over 25,000 people have signed a petition on change.org to stop foreign institutions from demanding an English proficiency test, the International English Language Testing System, from Nigerians.

The petition, which was initiated by a youth-led open-source platform for policy ideas that address the world’s most pressing challenges called Policy Shapers, was addressed to the Home Secretary of the United Kingdom, Priti Patel.

According to the think tank, no country in Africa, out of the 27 who list English as one of their official languages is on the Home Office list of countries exempted from taking the test.

Meanwhile, the UK Home Office has exempted Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago, and ten other countries from those who would require the test.

Many foreign universities, who are either in English speaking countries or have courses taught in the language, demand the IELTS as a requirement for admitting international students.

However, Policy Shapers argue that a test that costs more than three times the minimum wage and the result expires in two years, should not be required of Nigerians since the country is predominantly English speaking.

Founder of Policy Shapers, Ebenezar Wikina, stated that the campaign became necessary after observing that many Nigerians had lost opportunities because they could not afford the cost of the test despite having tertiary education in the English language.

Wikina, who contributed to making an American institution, Nexford University, change its English language admission requirement, stated that the campaign would go on as long as needed adding that it would benefit Nigerian students who wish to study abroad but have been faced with the hurdle of passing the IELTS.

“We are happy to keep this campaign going for as long as we live. It is the right thing to do and we owe it to our generation and our children’s generation.

“Seeing that we have been able to get the issue to the table of the Vice President of Nigeria, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, and he has assured us of his commitment to work on it, we believe change will come soon.

“A change in the policy would make life easier for Nigerian students who wish to study abroad or access opportunities because now the ultimate English proficiency barrier has been removed,” he stated.

While the UK Home Office is yet to respond to the think tank’s request for an explanation on why Nigeria is not exempted, Policy Shapers has increased the target of the petition to 35,000 signatures.

UAE, US Intercept Houthi Missile Attack Targeting Abu Dhabi

Zoe Maven
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UAE, US Intercept Houthi Missile Attack Targeting Abu Dhabi

The United Arab Emirates and the U.S. military intercepted two ballistic missiles fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels over the skies of Abu Dhabi early Monday.

Authorities said, the second attack in a week that targeted the Emirati capital.

The missile fire further escalates tensions across the Persian Gulf, which previously had seen a series of assaults near but never indisputably on  Emirati soil.

It comes during Yemen’s yearslong war and the collapse of Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers. American troops at Al-Dhafra Air Base in the capital took shelter in bunkers during the attack and fired back with their own Patriot missiles.

Videos on social media showed the sky over Abu Dhabi light up before dawn Monday, with what appeared to be interceptor missiles racing into the clouds to target the incoming fire. Two explosions later thundered through the city. The videos corresponded to known features of Abu Dhabi.

The state-run WAM news agency said that missile fragments fell harmlessly over Abu Dhabi.

A U.S. military official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations, acknowledged the assistance of American Patriot missile batteries prevented the Houthi missiles from striking targets in Abu Dhabi. Videos on social media suggested outgoing interceptor fire came from the base.

The missile fire disrupted traffic into Abu Dhabi International Airport, home to the long-haul carrier Etihad, for about an hour after the attack.

Assange Wins First Stage In Effort To Appeal US Extradition

Zoe Maven
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Assange Wins First Stage In Effort To Appeal US Extradition

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on Monday won the first stage of his effort to overturn a U.K. ruling that opened the door for his extradition to U.S. to stand trial on espionage charges.

The High Court in London gave Assange permission to appeal the case to the U.K. Supreme Court But the Supreme Court must agree to accept the case before it can move forward.

The Supreme Court normally takes about eight sitting weeks after an application is submitted to decide whether to accept an appeal, the court says on its website.

The decision is the latest step in Assange’s long battle to avoid a trial in the U.S. on a series of charges related to WikiLeaks’ publication of classified documents more than a decade ago.

Just over a year ago, a district court judge in London rejected a U.S. extradition request on the grounds that Assange was likely to kill himself if held under harsh U.S. prison conditions.

U.S. authorities later provided assurances that the WikiLeaks founder wouldn’t face the severe treatment his lawyers said would put his physical and mental health at risk.

The High Court last month overturned the lower court’s decision, saying that the U.S. promises were enough to guarantee Assange would be treated humanely.

Assange’s lawyers are seeking to appeal because the U.S. offered its assurances after the lower court made its ruling.

But the High Court overturned the lower court ruling, saying that the judge should have given the U.S. the opportunity to offer the assurances before she made her final ruling.

US Threatens Export Controls Against Russian Industries

Zoe Maven
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US Threatens Export Controls Against Russian Industries

The U.S. is threatening to use sweeping export controls against key Russian industries if Moscow invades Ukraine, according to a senior administration official.

The threat, first reported by The Washington Post, broadens out the administration’s options for retaliating against Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has amassed at least 100,000 troops near Ukraine’s border, should an invasion occur.

the official said No final decisions have been made, but they would start high and stay high and maximize the pain to the Kremlin, adding that that the US is in discussion with allies on these actions.

The administration is considering exercising the foreign direct product rule to control exports to Russia of all microelectronics designed with US software or technology or produced using US equipment, the official told The Hill.

The rule could target Russia’s artificial intelligence, maritime, defense, and civilian aviation sectors, the official said or used broadly, such as targeting consumer electronics.

Using the export controls is attractive given that the U.S. is dominant in software, technology and equipment in microelectronics.

The Trump administration used the rule against Chinese telecommunications company Huawei, contributing to the company’s first annual revenue drop in 2021, according to The Post.

Russia’s mobilization of troops near Ukraine has sparked fears that Moscow may invade Ukraine, as when it annexed the Crimean Peninsula in 2014.

President Biden and his officials have threatened high economic costs on the Kremlin if troops cross the border.

Lebanon’s Former PM Saad Hariri Bows Out Of Political Life

Zoe Maven
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Lebanon’s Former PM Saad Hariri Bows Out Of Political Life

Lebanon’s former Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Monday announced he was leaving politics for now and would not run in upcoming parliamentary elections.

The decision marks the first time in three decades the powerful Sunni family is out of politics, adding uncertainty in a country grappling with a financial meltdown.

Hariri’s decision had been anticipated but was still a bombshell for many Lebanese as the family has dominated politics in the small country for decades.

His exit leaves the Sunni community with no obvious leader for the time being, amid speculation that the abstention of the moderate Hariri could result in hard-line Sunni politicians playing a bigger role in Lebanese politics.

Hariri, a three-time prime minister and current member of parliament, inherited the political leadership from his late father, billionaire businessman Rafik Hariri, who was one of Lebanon’s most powerful and influential politicians after the end of the 1975-90 civil war.

The late Hariri was assassinated in February 2005 in a massive truck bombing in Beirut. Afterward, the family chose Saad Hariri to lead despite the fact that he has an older brother.

Hariri, who was traditionally in the camp opposing Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah, has largely co-existed with the group, forming coalition governments that included Hezbollah.

That cost him support from Sunni powerhouse Saudi Arabia, the rival of Iran, over influence and clout in the region.

Federal Judge Denies Bail For Russian With Close Ties To Putin

Zoe Maven
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Federal Judge Denies Bail For Russian With Close Ties To Putin

A Russian businessman with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin and accused of being involved in an insider trading and hacking scheme will be detained pending trial.

Vladislav Klyushin, had sought to be released pending his federal trial in Boston. He proposed a $2.5 million bond comprised of properties in Russia and the U.K. as well as hiring private guards to assure his presence in court.

But Judge Marianne Bowler in Massachusetts denied bail, saying that Klyushin had “absolutely no incentive to remain in this country.”

Bowler wrote that a Pretrial Services report lists $7 million in Russian and London real-estate as well as a yacht valued in excess of $4 million as just some of the assets Klyushin allegedly has.

She also cited the lack of any extradition treaty with Russia and the difficulty of seizing his London property if he fled the country as two of the reasons for denying him his release.

The Kremlin-linked Russian businessman was extradited to the U.S. from Switzerland in December.

He was arrested on insider trading and computer hacking charges and had previously spurned approaches by U.S. and British intelligence agencies while traveling in Europe, his lawyer told NBC News.

U.S. officials described the businessman, Klyushin, as being close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and one of his co-defendants in the insider trading case has also been charged with 2016 election hacking.

Iran Signals Willingness To Engage Directly With US On Deal

Zoe Maven
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Iran Signals Willingness To Engage Directly With US On Deal

Iran on Monday signaled a willingness to engage directly with the United States in ongoing discussions over the nuclear deal with world powers if it is necessary to reach a good agreement.

In 2018, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has final say on all state matters, banned any negotiations with the U.S. saying negotiations with the U.S. would harm Iran.

Earlier this month, however, Khamenei indirectly gave the green light to the Iranian negotiation team to talk with the U.S. and said negotiating and interacting with the enemy does not mean surrender.

IRNA quoted Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian as saying, “if we reach a stage in the negotiation process where the need for a good deal with a high guarantee is to have a dialogue with the Americans at some level, we will not ignore it.”

Iran and world powers have begun another round of nuclear talks in Vienna, Austria aimed at salvaging the tattered 2015 nuclear deal. The meetings include all the deal’s remaining signatories — Iran, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China.

The U.S. has participated indirectly in the ongoing talks because it withdrew from the accord in 2018 under then-President Donald Trump. President Joe Biden has signaled that he wants to rejoin the deal.

Trump later re-imposed crushing sanctions on Iran. Tehran has since started enriching uranium up to 60% purity — a short technical step from the 90% needed to make an atomic bomb

.Iran insists that its nuclear program is peaceful. But the country’s steps away from its obligations under the 2015 accord have alarmed Israel and other world powers.

Pakistan’s First Female Supreme Court Judge Sworn In

Zoe Maven
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Pakistan’s First Female Supreme Court Judge Sworn In

Pakistan’s first female Supreme Court judge Ayesha Malik has been sworn in in the capital Islamabad.

Malik, aged 55, now sits on a bench with 16 other male colleagues in the Muslim-majority country’s top court. Lawyers and activists said it was a rare victory after decades of struggle to get representation for women in Pakistan’s male-dominated society.

Some lawyers and judges opposed Justice Malik’s appointment as she was seen to be less senior than other candidates.

Pakistan’s judiciary has been historically conservative and male-dominated.

It is the only South Asian country to have never had a female Supreme Court judge, according to Human Rights Watch. In addition, only 4% of Pakistan’s high court judges are women.

Justice Malik, who was educated at the Pakistan College of Law and Harvard University, has served as a high court judge in the city of Lahore in eastern Pakistan for the last two decades.

She is seen to have played an important role in challenging patriarchal legal mores in the province.

Last year, she outlawed the use of so-called “virginity tests” during rape examinations of sexual assault victims and some activists have hailed Justice Malik’s elevation as a historic appointment.

Justice Malik’s appointment has been criticised by some and last year her elevation to the same post was voted down.

Her appointment to the Supreme Court was hotly contested once again this time around, with the nine-member commission passing her appointment by five votes to four.

Tonga Eruption More Powerful Than Atomic Bomb – NASA

Zoe Maven
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Tonga Eruption More Powerful Than Atomic Bomb – NASA

A volcanic eruption in Tonga that triggered a tsunami was hundreds of times more powerful than the atomic bomb the US dropped on Hiroshima during World War Two.

This is according to NASA which says the eruption “obliterated” a volcanic island north of the Tongan capital Nuku’alofa.

Tonga says more than four-fifths of the population has been affected by the tsunami and falling ash.

NASA says the eruption was so powerful all the new land is gone, along with “large chunks” of the two older islands.

Before the eruption, the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcanic island was two separate islands joined by new land formed in 2015.

In the immediate aftermath of the eruption and tsunami, there were fears that water sources had been polluted by the thick blanket of ash, increasing the risk of diseases like cholera and diarrhoea.

However, officials noted that testing in recent days had cleared ground water and rainwater as safe to drink.

But fine volcanic ash and emissions continue to pose a public health risk and exposure could potentially cause breathing difficulties, affect the cardiovascular system, and irritate the lungs, eyes and skin.

In an update, the government said 62 people on Mango, one of the worst-hit islands, had to be relocated to the outer island of Nomuka “after losing their homes and all of their personal belongings”.

The government added however, that many of those residents could be moved again to the main island Tongatapu due to a lack of food and supplies.

Stowaway Found In S’Africa Plane Wheel Is 22-Year-Old Kenyan

Zoe Maven
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Stowaway Found In S’Africa Plane Wheel Is 22-Year-Old Kenyan

The Dutch military police have confirmed a stowaway found alive in a plane’s wheel section in Amsterdam on Sunday is a 22-year-old Kenyan man.

According to reports, He is conscious and able to communicate, and currently receiving medical treatment in hospital. He plans to apply for asylum in the Netherlands.

The Cargolux freight flight he was found on flew from Johannesburg, South Africa, to the Dutch capital, via Nairobi in Kenya and Dutch police are investigating whether he got on in South Africa or Kenya.

A spokesperson for the Dutch military police told Newsmen that It is expected he will apply for asylum in the Netherlands, but his medical treatment is the priority at the moment.”

It is very unusual for stowaways on long flights to survive, due to the cold and low oxygen at high altitudes but in the past five years, seven stowaways have been discovered on planes in the Netherlands, only two of them were alive.

Flights from Johannesburg to Amsterdam take about 11 hours, and would have been longer with one stop in Nairobi.

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