The United States Mission in Nigeria on Friday debunked insinuations making the rounds that Washington’s recent decision to reduce visa validity for Nigerians was in retaliation for some actions of the Nigerian government.

The US embassy announced on Tuesday that it had reduced visa validity for non-immigrant Nigerian applicants from five years to three months, citing reciprocity for its action.

But in what appeared to be a u-turn Friday, the mission said it was not a reciprocal action but “part of an ongoing global review of the use of U.S. visas by other countries using technical and security benchmarks to safeguard U.S. immigration systems.”

It said in a statement that speculations that the reduction in visa validity was “the result of any nation’s stance on third-country deportees, introduction of e-visa policies, or affiliations with groups like BRICS” were untrue.

The statement said: “The U.S. Mission Nigeria wishes to address misconceptions about the recent reduction in visa validity for most nonimmigrant U.S. visas in Nigeria and other countries.

“This reduction is not the result of any nation’s stance on third-country deportees, introduction of e-visa policies, or affiliations with groups like BRICS.

“The reduction in validity is part of an ongoing global review of the use of U.S. visas by other countries using technical and security benchmarks to safeguard U.S. immigration systems.

“ We value our longstanding partnership with Nigeria and remain committed to working closely with the Nigerian public and government officials to help them meet those criteria and benchmarks, thereby ensuring safe, lawful, and mutually beneficial travel between our nations.”

Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar had said on Thursday that the US was “mounting considerable pressure on African countries to accept Venezuelans to be deported from the US, some straight out of prison.”

He said Nigeria, with its own population of over 230 million, was not prepared to accept Venezuelan deportees.

He added:”It will be difficult for a country like Nigeria to accept Venezuelans prisoners into Nigeria. We have enough problems of our own, we cannot accept Venezuelan deportees to Nigeria, for crying out loud.”

He said Nigeria with a population of over 230 million was not prepared to accept Venezuelan deportees.

“It will be unfair for Nigeria to accept 300 Venezuelan deportees,” he said.

Instead, he said Nigeria was looking “to do deals with the US” because the country has a lot of gas, critical minerals and rare earths needed by American tech companies.

The Wall Street Journal quoted internal documents and sources as saying the Trump administration was pushing the leaders of Liberia, Senegal, Mauritania, Gabon and Guinea-Bissau to accept migrants deported by the US whose home countries refuse them or are slow to take them back.

The newspaper says that, prior to their White House summit on Wednesday, the US government had already sent requests asking all five countries to accept migrants expelled from the US – a strategy the paper described as an “aggressive” overlap between the Trump administration’s deportation campaign and its foreign policy.”

President Trump on Wednesday named Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy as the interim leader of NASA after a previous nomination fell through, rupturing the relationship between Elon Musk and the president.

“He will be a fantastic leader of the ever more important Space Agency, even if only for a short period of time,” Mr. Trump said in a social media post announcing Mr. Duffy’s appointment.

Mr. Duffy, who will also keep his job at the Transportation Department, said on X that he was “honored to accept this mission.”

After Mr. Trump’s successful election campaign, to which Mr. Musk contributed more than $250 million, the president-elect picked Jared Isaacman, a billionaire entrepreneur and a close associate of Mr. Musk, to lead NASA.

Mr. Isaacman was Mr. Musk’s choice to lead the agency, and his appointment was seen as beneficial to SpaceX, Mr. Musk’s rocket company. SpaceX has multiple NASA contracts, which are crucial to its business, and Mr. Isaacman has twice gone to space as a private astronaut on SpaceX flights.

In a social media post announcing the nomination in December, Mr. Trump praised Mr. Isaacman as an exceptional leader with a passion for space.

On May 31, the day after Mr. Musk left his government position, Mr. Trump announced that he had withdrawn Mr. Isaacman’s nomination, citing “a thorough review of prior associations.” The president had been informed that Mr. Isaacman had donated to Democrats in the past, and considered that unacceptable.

While the relationship between Mr. Trump and Mr. Musk had already been deteriorating, the withdrawal of Mr. Isaacman’s nomination pushed it toward a total breakdown.

Mr. Trump said this week that it would have been inappropriate for Mr. Isaacman to lead NASA because of his friendship with Mr. Musk and SpaceX’s business with the agency.

The administration is yet to announce its next choice for NASA administrator.

“Short of a new nominee, this was a great move,” Mr. Isaacman said on social media after Mr. Duffy’s interim position was announced. “NASA needs political leadership from someone the President trusts and has confidence in.”

As the caretaker head of NASA, Mr. Duffy would also become the latest Trump official to hold multiple jobs in the administration. Others include Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has three additional jobs, and Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general who is also the acting Librarian of Congress.

Mr. Duffy will replace Janet Petro, a veteran NASA executive, who was appointed acting head of the agency by the Trump administration in January.

A Chinese politician has been sentenced to death over a $37.8M bribery scandal.

Wang Yong, a former vice-chairman of the government of the Xizang autonomous region, received a suspended death sentence for taking bribes, a court in Hunan province announced.

The Chenzhou Intermediate People’s Court sentenced Wang to death for bribery with a two-year reprieve.

The court deprived him of his political rights for life and ordered the confiscation of all his personal assets.

All of Wang’s illicit gains and related interests will be turned over to the State treasury.

The court said that from 2007 to 2023, Wang used his various positions including as director of the policy and regulations department of the Civil Aviation Administration of China Southwest Regional Administration, Party secretary, and director of the Civil Aviation Safety Supervision Bureau of Guizhou province, and Party secretary and chairman of Guizhou Airport Group to seek benefits for organizations and individuals in project contracts and other areas.

In return, he accepted bribes worth more than 271 million yuan ($37.8 million).

The court said Wang’s offenses were extremely serious, with an “extreme” amount of bribes, and causing significant damage to public assets and the interests of the country and the people.

Wang confessed to his crimes, pleaded guilty, showed remorse, and actively returned his illegal gains, which have been fully recovered, the court said. These actions led to a lenient punishment.

Wang’s case was heard publicly on May 15, with more than 40 people attending the trial. Prosecutors presented evidence, and Wang admitted guilt and made a final statement in court.

In China, a suspended death sentence is typically commuted to life in prison after two years if the inmate commits no further crimes. The term can be further reduced based on the inmate’s behavior.