Spherical Updates

Saturday, 23 June 2018

ZIMBABWE PRESIDENT SURVIVES AN EXPLOSION IN THE CITY OF BULAWAYO

Image copyri

Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa has survived an apparent bomb attack in the city of Bulawayo.

Video footage from White City Stadium appears to show an explosion happening close to Mr Mnangagwa as he was leaving the stage having addressed supporters.He was not hurt, his spokesman said. But senior officials are among those injured, Zimbabwe media say.

President Mnangagwa came into power last November, ousting his former mentor Robert Mugabe.The president was in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe's second city, to campaign for his Zanu-PF party ahead of nationwide elections taking place on 30 July.The elections are the first in Zimbabwe since Mr Mugabe was ousted after 37 years in power.

Presidential spokesman George Charamba issued a statement recalling: "There have been multiple attempts on the president's life over the past five years."The Zimbabwe Herald newspaper reported that Vice-President Kembo Mohadi had suffered leg injuries in the bomb blast, but there is no confirmation.The paper described the explosion as an assassination attempt.

Other senior officials are also said to have been injured, as well as some of their bodyguards.

Facts About President Mnangagwa

Known as "the crocodile" because of his political shrewdness - his Zanu-PF faction is "Lacoste"
Received military training in China and Egypt
Tortured by Rhodesian forces after his "crocodile gang" staged attacks
Helped direct Zimbabwe's war of independence in the 1960s and 1970s
Became the country's spymaster during the 1980s civil conflict, in which thousands of civilians were killed, but has denied any role in the massacres, blaming the army
Accused of masterminding attacks on opposition supporters after 2008 election
Says he will deliver jobs, and seen as open to economic reforms

Tuesday, 19 June 2018

SIMPLE STEPS TO FOLLOW IN ORDER TO APPLY FOR STUDENT VISA IN NIGERIA

Hi there,welcome to spherical updates where timely information and news updates from round the globe are made available for you.

But today and right in this article,our major concern will be focused on the simple steps a student who has been granted admission abroad could get his/her visa ready for flight.

Normally, there are several countries that Nigerians travels to for higher education. Some of the countries are however more popular than others due to factors like work opportunities, cost of education, immigration policies, etc.

We have picked out the top five countries from the long list and simplified the application process for all five.

The five countries are Canada, United Kingdom, United States, Cyprus, and Australia.

At the mention of a Visa, you might get scared. Don’t worry; getting a student visa is not rocket science. With this list, you’ll have everything you need.Most student visa applications have similar requirements.

They all require you to provide the following:-

1. Get Proof of Admission

The very first thing to do when applying for any student visa is that; you need to make sure you’ve been admitted into a certain school/college in the country you want to travel to.Your admission letter (or confirmation of enrollment certificate in the case of an Australian student visa) will stand as a proof of admission.

Secondly; Get A Valid International Passport

This is important; if the expiry date of your passport is close, make sure you renew it months before you intend to submit your visa application.Your passport needs to be valid for at least six months after your visa is granted.

Thirdly; Make ready Your Proof of Financial Support

The step I would like to call 3rd is that you need to provide proof that you’re financially capable of paying your school fees and living expenses abroad.They want to know that you won’t be a burden to their government. You can do this by providing bank statements showing sufficient funds.

If you’ll be attending school on a scholarship, provide documentation which verifies your scholarship e.g. your scholarship letter.Before you apply, check for tuition and living costs of studying in Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, United States, and Dubai.

Fourthly; Make sure your Academic Transcripts or Certificates Needed are intact

You also should provide original copies of transcripts, exam certificates, and certificates earned from all schools attended prior to the school you want to attend.You just need to be able to present documents which show your past academic performance.You can also decide to attach a resume of documents from your current or previous place of work.

Furthermore; Get Passport Photographs

I believe this to be public knowledge, of course you need to take passport photographs for every visa application.However, every country has different specifications on photo dimensions and numbers. For example, for the U.S Visa Application, the passport picture dimensions are wider than the regular passport picture.

Make sure you check ahead and tell the photographer what you’re taking the picture for. They usually know the correct dimensions.

Moreso; Get a Visa Application Form

The first major step in your student visa application is filling an application form. Most countries have a dedicated website for online applications.For Australia, United States, United Kingdom, Dubai and Canada.

Make sure that you make provision of funds for Visa Application Fee

With the application form, you need to pay an application fee. The application fees for:

Canada – 150 Canadian Dollars – approximately 44,400 Naira

United States – 160 US Dollars – approximately 57,700 Naira

Dubai – depends on the university but can range from AED 2720 i.e. 266,950 Naira

United Kingdom – £322 + the health surcharge which is £150 per study year. For a one-year program, that is approximately £420 – 205,030 Naira

Australia – 560 Australian Dollars – 161,390 Naira

Additional Requirements

Apart from the mentioned requirements, some countries require additional things as part of their visa application process.For example, for a Canadian or Australian Visa, you may need to get a medical clearance and Criminal Record Check/police report.These will attract extra costs.

Attend a visa interview

For most first-time visa applications, the respective embassy will require you to attend a physical interview and present all your supporting documents.Don’t be nervous; just make sure you have everything we’ve listed. You should do further research just to be safe.

I hope that was helpful?.....Feel free to drop your comments below.

MO SALAH TO UNDERGO FITNESS TEST IN ORDER TO BE DECLARED FIT TO PLAY AGAINST RUSSIA

TEAM NEWS

Egypt forward Mohamed Salah will need to pass a fitness test to feature against Russia.

Liverpool's Salah sat out the 1-0 loss to Uruguay after injuring his shoulder in last month's Champions League final.

"He is fit. I hope he will be fit to play. In the previous match we thought he was fit but we have a final fitness test," said Egypt boss Hector Cuper.

Russia will be without attacking midfielder Alan Dzagoev after he pulled his hamstring in the opening game.

Left-back Yuri Zhirkov trained individually on Sunday because of a minor ankle problem but is likely to be passed fit.

Egypt right-back Ahmed Fathi, who captained the side in the last game, has shaken off a minor muscle problem.

Defensive midfielder Tarek Hamed was substituted during Friday's defeat with a back issue, but the Egyptian FA have confirmed he will be fit to face Russia.

OVERVIEW

Russia scored more goals in the first game of the 2018 World Cup than in the whole of the 2014 tournament in Brazil, where they netted just twice in three group matches.

Their performance against Saudi Arabia was so impressive that Russian President Vladimir Putin felt compelled to call head coach Stanislav Cherchesov during his post-match press conference, telling him to pass on his congratulations to the players.

It wasn't quite such a good start for Egypt, who were without talisman Mohamed Salah as they fell to a late defeat at the hands of Uruguay. However, the Liverpool star is expected to start this game, despite ongoing speculation about his fitness. At Egypt's recent training camp in Grozny, Salah reportedly required the help of his team-mates to pull on his top.

The Pharaohs are still desperately seeking a first World Cup win in what will be their sixth game at the finals. As for Russia, they last progressed to the knockout stage in 1986 under the banner of the Soviet Union, but victory in St Petersburg would leave them on the brink of a place in the knockout stage.

VIEWS FROM BOTH TEAM'S PLAYERS

Russia midfielder Anton Miranchuk: It looks like Salah will play against us because they need points.Of course, he has a big influence on Egypt but the team is still 11 players, not one. Let's see what Salah can do against us.

Egypt midfielder Mohamed Elneny: We all believe that we're able to beat them.We realise that this is going to be a very tough game against a host nation supported by thousands of fans. We are well aware of that, but we have no option other than winning, which means we need to keep our calm and focus.In the match against Russia we will go for it because we want to stay here for as long as we can. To play in a World Cup and experience this atmosphere is a dream you hope will never end."

MATCH FACTS

Head-to-head

This will be the first meeting between Russia and Egypt.

Russia

Russia's 5-0 win against Saudi Arabia was the biggest victory by a host nation in an opening game since Italy beat the USA 7-1 in 1934.
The win means that Russia have already scored more goals in this tournament than they did at each of their last two World Cup appearances - they netted twice in 2014, and four times in 2002.
As Russia, they have failed to reach the knockout stage of the World Cup in three attempts (1994, 2002 and 2014).
In fact, Russia have failed to win their second game at the last five World Cups - they last did it as the USSR, beating New Zealand 3-0 in 1982.
Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Russia are unbeaten against African teams at the World Cup (W2, D1), including a 6-1 win over Cameroon in 1994 in which Oleg Salenko scored five.
Russia's head coach Stanislav Cherchesov, a former goalkeeper, made his sole World Cup appearance in that game.
Aleksandr Golovin scored his first World Cup goal and registered two assists on his debut in the competition.

Egypt

Egypt are still waiting for their first win at a World Cup finals (D2, L3). No African side has played as many World Cup games without a win.
The Pharaohs have failed to score in each of their last three World Cup matches. Their last goal was a penalty scored by Magdy Adbelghani in a 1-1 with the Netherlands in 1990.
Their only World Cup clean sheet came in a 0-0 draw with the Republic of Ireland in June 1990.
Mohamed Elneny completed 44 passes versus Uruguay in their first game, the most by an Egyptian player at the World Cup.
Mohamed Salah was Egypt's top scorer in qualifying with five goals in five appearances.

ITALIAN POPULIST INTERIOR MINISTER; MATTEO SALVINI CALLS FOR A CENSUS TO BE CONDUCTED SO AS TO SINGLE OUT MIGRANTS

Image copyrightEPA

Italy's right-wing populist Interior Minister, Matteo Salvini, has prompted a new outcry by saying he wants a census of the Roma community that would lead to non-Italians being deported.

After a chorus of criticism he said his only aim was to protect Roma children.

Since Mr Salvini's League party came to power this month with the anti-establishment Five Star movement, he has focused heavily on immigration.

Last week he refused to allow a charity ship carrying 629 migrants into Italy.

Mr Salvini has tried to limit the number of migrants entering Italy by blocking charity ships that rescue people off the Libyan coast.

His remarks on Roma (Gypsies) were eventually rebutted by his fellow deputy prime minister and leader of Five Star, Luigi di Maio, who made it clear that a census was unconstitutional.

How did Salvini cause offense?

The interior minister told a local TV channel he had asked officials to "prepare a dossier on the Roma question in Italy at the ministry because nothing has been done since [ex-minister Roberto] Maroni and it's chaos".There would be a survey to see "who [they are], how [they live] and how many of them there are, re-doing what was called the census". "We'll have a register," he said.Those Roma who had no right to stay in Italy would be deported but "as for the Italian Roma, unfortunately you have to keep them at home".Italy's new populist government has as part of its programme a plan to deport 500,000 migrants.An association that promotes Roma rights immediately pointed out that any census based on ethnic background was against Italian law and political opponents expressed horror at the idea. Jewish groups said the plan evoked memories of Mussolini's 1938 race laws.Paolo Gentiloni, the centre-left prime minister who led Italy for two years, tweeted: "Refugees yesterday, Roma today, tomorrow guns for all. How exhausting it is being bad."

The League leader then clarified his position, insisting he was not proposing a register after all. No fingerprints would be taken, merely a survey of Roma camps to protect the thousands of children prevented from going to school.Mr Di Maio welcomed Mr Salvini's clarification, saying he was glad that the minister had denied plans for a register. "If something is unconstitutional, it cannot be done."

Who are Italy's Roma?

They number between 130,000 and 170,000 and around half have Italian citizenship. Many come from Romania and the former Yugoslavia and live in camps on the outskirts of big cities.Italians have an overwhelmingly negative view of Roma, according to a survey published in 2016 by the Pew Research Center.Some 82% of those questioned were unfavourable to Roma, far higher than other European countries.

Mr Salvini has long campaigned against the Roma community and has in the past called for their camps to be bulldozed. Two months ago he said if many of them worked harder and stole less, and educated their children in school rather than in theft, "that would really be a party".In answer to Mr Salvini's proposals, the 21 July Association that supports Roma rights said the numbers and details of Roma were already known.The Italian Roma community had been in the country for at least half a century, it said, while the few Roma who had no papers were in effect stateless so could not be deported anyway.Roma filmmaker Luciano Casamonica said the interior minister could say what he liked but he and his family had been in Italy for seven generations.

XXXTENTACION WAS FOUND SHOT DEAD IN FLORIDA

Image copyrightSHUTTERSTOCK

US rapper XXXTentacion, who quickly rose to fame with two consecutive hit albums, has been killed aged 20.

He was leaving a motorcycle dealership in south Florida on Monday when an armed suspect shot him.

Police in Broward County said XXXTentacion, whose real name is Jahseh Onfroy, was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead.

He was often described as one of rap's most controversial artists and was facing domestic violence charges.

The rapper, who first found an audience by uploading songs to the website SoundCloud, had been hailed as a breakthrough talent and tributes have been pouring in from hip-hop luminaries in the wake of his death.

The county sheriff's office said that Onfroy was leaving the dealership shortly before 16:00 local time when two armed suspects approached.

At least one of them shot him before both fled the scene in Deerfield Beach, which is 43 miles (69km) north of Miami, in a dark-coloured SUV.

Investigators said it appeared to be a "possible robbery". Video posted on social media apparently showed Onfroy slumped in his car.

A witness told celebrity news website TMZ that multiple shots rang out outside the dealership.

The rapper, whose hit songs include SAD! and Moonlight, quickly rose to prominence following the release of his debut album 17 last August.

His follow-up ? debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 chart in March and has been listened to hundreds of millions of times online.

The album tackled subjects such as depression and was praised by some of rap's most high-profile stars.

But his short career was plagued by allegations of domestic violence. He was facing 15 felony charges at the time of his death, including aggravated battery of a pregnant woman.

From tough upbringing to number one

XXXTentacion had a troubled upbringing and was expelled from middle school for fighting, but he channelled his energy and fury into music.

He quickly became the most popular artist in the genre known as SoundCloud Rap, defined by its languid, hazy beats and wide-ranging influences.

His surging popularity was noted by the music industry and, by October 2017, he had scored a distribution agreement reportedly worth $6 million (£4.5m).

But his career was already being overshadowed by his legal problems. Fans were apparently unswayed, sending his latest album to number one in the US.

THE US PRESIDENT HAS THREATENED TO IMPOSE ADDITIONAL $200BN TARIFFS ON CHINA

Image copyrightAFP

US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on an additional $200bn (£151bn) of Chinese goods in a growing trade row.

Mr Trump said the 10% tariffs would come into effect if China "refuses to change its practices".

The move would be a major escalation of the dispute. World stock markets have suffered sharp falls as a result.

China responded by accusing the US of "blackmail", raising fears of a full-blown trade war.

Mr Trump insists that China has been unfairly benefitting from a trade imbalance with the US for years.

During the 2016 election campaign, he promised to use tariffs to cut the US trade deficits.

But many economists have warned that tariffs are likely to make products more expensive for US consumers and hurt some of the businesses the administration is trying to protect, which depend on China for parts or assembly.

Asian markets sank on Tuesday in response to the latest news. Global shares had already fallen on Monday

How did the latest spat unfold?

Last week, Mr Trump announced the US would impose 25% tariffs on $50bn worth of Chinese goods.

Beijing responded by saying it would hit 659 US products worth $50bn - including agricultural products, cars and marine products - with a similar tax.

Late on Monday, the US president condemned China's "unfair practices related to the acquisition of American intellectual property and technology".

He added: "Rather than altering those practices, it is now threatening United States companies, workers, and farmers who have done nothing wrong."

Mr Trump added that new tariffs would "go into effect if China refuses to change its practices, and also if it insists on going forward with the new tariffs that it has recently announced".

"If China increases its tariffs yet again, we will meet that action by pursuing additional tariffs on another $200 billion of goods."

China's commerce ministry reacted swiftly, saying: "If the US acts irrationally and issues a list, China will have no choice but to take comprehensive measures of a corresponding number and quality and take strong, powerful countermeasures."

The US tariffs previously announced affect more than 800 Chinese products worth $34bn in annual trade. They are due to come into effect on 6 July.

The product lines range from aircraft tyres to turbines and commercial dishwashers.

In his latest statement, Mr Trump said that he had asked his advisers to identify additional Chinese products on which to impose new tariffs.

The Trump administration says China encourages transfer of intellectual property - design and product ideas - to Chinese companies, through measures such as requiring that foreign firms share ownership with local partners to access the Chinese market.

The US announced plans for tariffs in April, after an investigation into China's intellectual property practices.

On 1 June, the Trump administration separately imposed a 25% tariff on steel imports and 10% on aluminium imports, citing security reasons.