TheNewsGuru

Tag: Embassy

  • France set to close embassy in Niger Republic

    France set to close embassy in Niger Republic

    The European nation of France has noted that it will close its embassy in Niger Republic over a frosty relationship with the West African nation.

    France also added that its embassy was attacked in the country.

    “After the attack on our embassy July 30, and the setting up of a blockade around our building by Niger forces, most of our diplomatic staff left in late September,” the sources said.

    “The French embassy in Niger is therefore no longer able to function normally or fulfil its missions. Taking note of this situation, we have decided to close our embassy.”

    Local staff members have been dismissed and compensated, the sources added.

    Relations between Niger and former colonial power France severed  after the Junta ousted elected leader Mohamed Bazoum in a coup on July 26.

    .The Sahel country’s new rulers scrapped defence deals with its traditional security partner, expelled the French ambassador and has forged closer ties with Russia.

    French troops based in Niger as part of an anti-jihadist mission are due to complete their withdrawal this month.

  • U.S. Embassy to tackle visa-related hitches in Nigeria

    U.S. Embassy to tackle visa-related hitches in Nigeria

    Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S, Embassy in Nigeria Mr. David Greene has assured visa applicants of the mission’s commitment to tackling all visa-related hitches.

    Greene gave the assurance during an interview with NAN in Abuja.

    According to him, issues related to visas would fully become a thing of the past, saying the mission is doing everything within its power to tackle such challenges.

    “When it comes to visas specifically, well of course it is a simple fact, the demand for visa appointments outnumbers the supply.

    “So, those appointments are available and we are doing everything we can to address that gap. What folks do not know is that this year we have interviewed more than 150,000 Nigerians.

    “This is in addition to 30,000 students. Hundreds of thousands of students have had the opportunity to seek visas from the U.S.

    “We are doing the best we can to get proper ways for all the categories and after having an enormous backlog as a result of COVID-19, and all that.

    “We have made great progress though. In March we instituted a five-year term for visas to the U.S.,” he added.

    He urged persons desiring to travel to the U.S. to apply early and ensure that the visa requests are tied to events.

    “Folks that are seeking visas should apply early, make sure that the plan is for an event as they can.

    “This is because we do acknowledge that there is a backlog and we will do what we can to make sure people that need a warrant visa to the U.S., can get them,” he said.

  • Man fatally stabs police officer outside Brazilian embassy

    Man fatally stabs police officer outside Brazilian embassy

    A man fatally stabbed a policeman on duty outside the Brazilian embassy in Tunis on Monday.

    The Interior Ministry said the police shot the attacker in the leg and arrested him.

    A ministry official said the attacker, 53, was mentally ill and the stabbing was not being treated as terrorism.

    The policeman later died from his wounds, a spokesperson for the Interior Ministry said.

  • Tinubu finally reacts to attack on US Embassy convoy after call with Blinken

    Tinubu finally reacts to attack on US Embassy convoy after call with Blinken

    The President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu has condemned the attack on some United States Embassy officials at Ogabru in Anambra.

    Tinubu, in a statement issued by Mr Tunde Rahman, his media aide on Friday in Abuja, said he was shocked to hear of the attack.

    “Tinubu is deeply shocked to learn of the attack on United States Embassy convoys, just hours after his telephone call with the U.S Secretary of State, Antony Blinken.

    “He expresses his sympathy and condolences with the U.S Government and families of the four personnel killed in the horrific attack at Ogabru, Anambra,” the statement said.

    It said Tinubu had been making inquiries into the persons responsible and their motives, and would do all he could to ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice.

    It added that security is one of the cardinal issues on Tinubu’s agenda, and he would give it priority attention on assumption of office.

    This, it said was why security, featured prominently in his telephone discussion with Secretary Blinken.

    The statement said Tinubu had, in a telephone conversation on May 16, with Blinken, urged the U.S to factor in Nigeria’s important place in Africa and provide needed assistance in the areas of security and economic investment.

    This, he said, was critical for Nigeria to lead the way and be a shining example to the rest of Africa continent.

    He said his immediate priorities would be to deliver institutional reforms and development programs to deepen Nigeria’s democratic institutions and bring help to poor and vulnerable Nigerians.

    Tinubu had expressed determination to strengthen Nigeria’s democracy and faithfully serve the people as president

  • Convoy attack: U.S Embassy confirms safe recovery of 2 staff

    Convoy attack: U.S Embassy confirms safe recovery of 2 staff

    The United States (U.S) Embassy in Abuja says two of its employees involved in the attack on its convoy in Anambra have been rescued alive.

    The Embassy made this known in a statement made available to journalists on Friday in Abuja.

    The U.S Embassy said that the victims were under the protection of the Nigerian authorities in Anambra.

    The statement said that the U.S government was working intensively to bring to book the perpetrators of the crime.

    According to it, two U.S. Mission employees missing since the May 16 attack in Anambra state are alive and safe, and under the protection of Nigerian authorities in Anambra.

    “We have informed their families of their safe recovery.  U.S. Mission personnel are on their way to meet and accompany them home.

    “We continue to work intensively with the Nigerian security and law enforcement on this matter, to identify the victims previously found, and to bring to justice those responsible for this heinous attack.

    “We welcome any information the public may have in this regard.

    “We are deeply grateful for the partnership and solidarity of the Nigerian government and Nigerian security and law enforcement colleagues and mourn with them for those who died in the attack.”

    Recalled that on May 16, a convoy of a U.S vehicle was attacked by gunmen in Atani, Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State while the team was on a mission.

  • 2023 Elections: US Govt supports campaigns to tackle voter apathy

    2023 Elections: US Govt supports campaigns to tackle voter apathy

    The United States Government, through its Embassy in Nigeria, has thrown its weight behind Vote023 Initiative to curb voter apathy in the 2023 general elections.

    Newsmen reports that Vote023 Initiative is a non-partisan incentive-driven voice call campaign to drive Nigerians consciousness of civic responsibility, especially as the 2023 Elections are fast-approaching.

    Mrs Angela Ochu-Baiye, a Mandela Washington Fellow and Lead Collaborator in the Vote023 project, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday in Lagos.

    Ochu-Baiye said that the embassy affirmed this support in a Federal Assistance Award notice on Dec. 15 to the project, conceived by Emeka Mba, a Tech Entrepreneur and Founder, Emergent Labs.

    Ochu-Baiye said: “The Vote023 Team is delighted that the US Embassy in Nigeria is partnering with us to get our messages out to thousands of Nigerians via our IVR messages recorded in English , Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo and Pidgin.

    “We are abundantly appreciative of their support and it will go a long way in helping to achieve the project goals.”

    According to Ochu-Baiye, the objective of Vote023 is to correct the worrisome issue of voter apathy by creatively sensitising Nigerians and giving them strong reasons to vote at the forthcoming 2023 Elections.

    She said that the objective was to deepen the citizens’ consciousness of their civic obligation and drive more engagement in the voting process.

    Ochu-Baiye said that the project was not affiliated to any political figure or party but emphasised principles and data.

    Mba, the Visioneer and Solutions Architect of the Vote023 campaign, said: “We launched Vote023 in November 2022 to encourage voting culture in Nigeria.

    “This assistance from the United States Embassy is a big boost to our campaign efforts.

    “We are extremely grateful for the partnership while we look forward to more impactful ones.”

    Mba called on other institutions and well-meaning Nigerians to take a cue from the US Embassy by supporting the initiative.

    He saidas the project targeted more than 23 million Nigerians with 23 cogent reasons to vote at the 2023 Elections.

    Newsmen reports that Vote023 was launched in November 2022, with a theme song titled ‘The Call’, produced by Gospelondebeatz and created by Angela Ochu-Baiye.

  • U.S. mission expands eligibility period for non-immigrant visa renewals

    U.S. mission expands eligibility period for non-immigrant visa renewals

    The U.S. Mission has expanded the eligibility period for nonimmigrant visa renewals from 24 months to 48 months.

    This was made known in a statement made available on Friday evening.

    According to the mission, applicants whose previous U.S. visa expired within the last 48 months or will expire in the next 3 months may now qualify to renew their visa without an interview.

    The mission noted in the statement that it was also opening thousands of visa renewal appointments to assist applicants who wished to renew their visas.

    “You may be eligible for a visa renewal without an interview if your application is for a B1/B2, F, M, J (academic only), H, L or C1/D (combined only) visa, AND you meet each of the following criteria:

    “Your previous visa was issued in Nigeria, your previous visa is in the same classification as your current application, your previous visa was a full validity, multiple entry visa.

    “Your previous visa expired within the last 48 months or will expire in the next 3 months from the date of application, you have all your passports covering the entire period since receiving the previous visa and the passport with the most recent visa.

    “You have never been arrested or convicted of any crime or offense in the United States, even if you later received a waiver or pardon, you have never worked without authorization or remained beyond your permitted time in the United States,” the statement read.

    The mission noted that processing times for the programme were expected to be up to two months and applicants would not be able to retrieve their passports during that time.

    “Each applicant must individually meet the criteria; minors can apply without an interview only if they meet the eligibility criteria on their own.”

    It was further noted that third parties unaffiliated with the U.S. Embassy Abuja and Consulate General Lagos might seek to take advantage of various visa services to target visa applicants with fraudulent offers or claims.

    The mission urged applicants to fill out their own forms and make their appointments themselves via the official websites.

    “Please see our website at https://ng.usembassy.gov/visas/nonimmigrant-visas/ for further information.

    “If you are qualified based on the above criteria, visit https://www.ustraveldocs.com/ng to start your application.”

  • U.S. government announces reopening of its embassy in Kiev

    U.S. government announces reopening of its embassy in Kiev

    The U.S. government has reopened its embassy in Kiev, Ukraine, the State Department in Washington announced on Wednesday.

    The embassy had closed its doors shortly before the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in late February

    “As we take this momentous step, we have put forward additional measures to increase the safety of our colleagues who are returning to Kyiv and have enhanced our security measures and protocols,” a statement said, using an alternative spelling for the Ukrainian capital.

    The war continued to cause death, destruction and displacement every day, the statement added, but stressed that the U.S remained “committed to confronting the challenges ahead.”

  • UKRAINE WAR: India to reopen Embassy in Kyiv on May 17

    UKRAINE WAR: India to reopen Embassy in Kyiv on May 17

    The Indian government has said its Embassy in Ukraine would resume operation from Kyiv by May 17, 2022.

     

    In a communique today, the foreign ministry said, “The Indian Embassy in Ukraine, which was temporarily operating out of Warsaw (Poland), Would be resuming its operation from Kyiv w.e.f 17 May 2022″.

     

    The Indian embassy in Ukraine was shut after Russia invaded the former Soviet republic.

     

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that the embassy operations in the Ukraine Capital had shut down in early March after Russian shelling intensified days after the February 24 invasion.

     

    On March 13, the embassy relocated to Warsaw after most Indian nationals were evacuated from Ukraine.

     

    Several Western political leaders including UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have recently visited Irpin and other residential areas around the Ukrainian capital, where Russian forces have been accused of killing hundreds of civilians.

     

    Ukraine has said it will launch its first war crimes trial, bringing a 21-year-old Russian service member to the stand who allegedly shot down an unarmed 62-year-old civilian to stop him from serving as a witness to a carjacking.

  • Russian diplomat found dead outside Embassy in Berlin

    Russian diplomat found dead outside Embassy in Berlin

    A Russian diplomat was found dead in October outside the country’s embassy in Berlin, it emerged Friday.

    The man, whose lifeless body was recovered on October 19 on the pavement by police, had apparently fallen to his death from the embassy complex, according to the Spiegel weekly which first reported the case.

    A German foreign ministry spokesman said the case was “known to the ministry” but would not provide further details.

    Confirming the death, the Russian embassy called it a “tragic accident”.

    “All the procedures related to repatriating the diplomat’s body back to the homeland were promptly settled with responsible German law-enforcement and medical authorities in accordance with current practices,” said the embassy in a statement.

    Russia’s mission however said it “considers speculations which have appeared in a number of Western media” over the diplomat’s death “to be absolutely incorrect”.

    The diplomat was identified as a 35-year-old second secretary at the embassy by Spiegel.

    But the magazine said German authorities believe he was also an agent of the Russian secret service FSB.

    He is also reportedly related to a high-ranking official of the FSB’s second directorate — a unit that Western secret services say was involved in the killing of a Georgian national in central Berlin in 2019.

    Zelimkhan Khangoshvili, the 40-year-old Georgian, was shot twice in the head at close range in Kleiner Tiergarten park on August 23, 2019, allegedly by a Russian man who was arrested shortly afterwards.

    The Russian suspect, 55-year-old Vadim Krasikov, alias Vadim Sokolov, is on trial over the murder, which German prosecutors say was ordered by Moscow.