The Trump administration’s plan to ban people from 43 countries from travelling to the US is delayed indefinitely. Trump issued an executive order on January 20 requiring intensified security vetting of any foreigners seeking admission to the US to detect national security threats.  Back in March, the White House put out a memo that showed countries divided into three separate groups – including full visa suspensions and partial suspensions. Many are from the Middle East and Africa, with Afghanistan, Cuba, Iran and North Korea among the 11 who face the most drastic measures.In the second group, 10 countries would face partial suspensions that would impact tourist and student visas as well as other immigrant visas, with some exceptions. And in a third group, a total of 22 countries would be considered for a partial suspension of US visa issuance if their governments ‘do not make efforts to address deficiencies within 60 days’, the memo said. Trump’s ban has now been delayed because the State Department continues to miss deadlines to submit a report detailing recommendations for restrictions.  They were originally due on March 21 but department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said Monday that it’s still being worked on.   ‘I can tell you that were working on what the executive order asked for, which is not travel bans of course but the nature of restrictions from other countries if whether or not they meet the standard of security and vetting thats required for entry into the United States,’ she said. A new deadline for the report to reach Trump’s desk does not currently exist but Bruce confirmed it is still in the works.  ‘Again, because theres not a date, it doesnt mean that its not being worked on. So we are all working to implement what President Trump has ordered,’ she said.The post Trump administration delays plan toban people from 43 countries from travelling to the US appeared first on Linda Ikeji Blog.

Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, has removed 2,363 ghost workers from the state payroll, saving the government ₦200 million monthly.

The move, which eliminates fraudulent salary payments totaling ₦193,642,097.19, has been praised as a crucial step toward financial stability and development.

The Coalition of Rescue Support Groups in Zamfara commended the governor’s efforts, noting that the cleanup has facilitated the smooth implementation of the new national minimum wage of ₦70,000 for civil servants.

“This is a departure from the vicious cycle of salary bondage imposed on workers by previous administrations,” said Alhaji Rufai Ahmed Gusau, the coalition’s state coordinator.

Governor Lawal’s reforms have ensured that only genuine employees remain on the payroll, with 28,273 workers verified and cleared.

The coalition believes these measures will strengthen service delivery, boost economic activity, and improve governance in Zamfara.

“With improved security and economic activities, Zamfara people now enjoy the dividends of democracy and good governance,” the statement read.

The group urged workers, union leaders, opposition parties, and residents to support the government’s efforts to reform and advance the state’s economic and administrative structures.

As Zamfara continues on this path of accountability and transparency, the removal of ghost workers marks a major milestone in Governor Lawal’s drive to restore financial integrity and promote sustainable development.

 The U.S. government has sanctioned six senior Chinese and Hong Kong officials for “transnational repression” and further eroding the autonomy of Hong Kong, in the first major move by the Trump administration to punish China over its crackdown on the city.”Beijing and Hong Kong officials have used Hong Kong national security laws extraterritorially to intimidate, silence, and harass 19 pro-democracy activists who were forced to flee overseas, including a U.S. citizen and four other U.S. residents,” the State Department said in a statement.In response, the U.S. is sanctioning six individuals who have “engaged in actions or policies that threaten to further erode the autonomy of Hong Kong in contravention of China’s commitments, and in connection with acts of transnational repression,” it said.Western countries have criticized Beijing for imposing the national security law on Hong Kong and using it to jail pro-democracy activists, as well as shutter liberal media outlets and civil society groups. Beijing says the law, which punishes acts like subversion and foreign collusion with up to life in prison, has brought stability after mass pro-democracy protests there in 2019. The sanctions announced on Monday put blocks on any property, funds or transactions within the U.S. for these individuals, including Dong Jingwei, a former senior official at China’s main civilian intelligence agency who is now the director of China’s Office for Safeguarding National Security in Hong Kong. Dong was previously China’s top spy catcher who had oversight of counter-intelligence. He was also vice minister of state security, a high-profile role which included hunting down foreign spies in China and nationals who colluded with foreign countries. Paul Lam, Hong Kong’s top legal official as secretary for justice, who has driven prosecutions against scores of democratic activists, was also sanctioned. Security and police officials Sonny Au, Dick Wong, Margaret Chiu, Raymond Siu were also sanctioned for their role in “coercing, arresting, detaining, or imprisoning of individuals” under the security laws. China’s Foreign Commissioner’s office in Hong Kong said in a statement the sanctions were “despicable” and were a sinister attempt to undermine Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability. The Hong Kong government strongly condemned the sanctions that it said “clearly exposed the US’ barbarity under its hegemony”. The post US sanctions six Chinese and Hong Kong officials for rights abuses appeared first on Linda Ikeji Blog.