US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington is revoking visas and blocking new South Sudanese arrivals until Juba accepts its citizens deported from the US. AP
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington is revoking visas and blocking new South Sudanese arrivals until Juba accepts its citizens deported from the US. AP
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington is revoking visas and blocking new South Sudanese arrivals until Juba accepts its citizens deported from the US. AP
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington is revoking visas and blocking new South Sudanese arrivals until Juba accepts its citizens deported from the US. AP

US revokes all South Sudanese visas over deportation row


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The US is to revoke all visas for South Sudanese nationals and block new arrivals from the country, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, accusing Juba of not accepting its citizens deported from the US.

Mr Rubio said the South Sudanese government was “taking advantage” of the US, and “every country must accept the return of its citizens in a timely manner when another country, including the United States, seeks to remove them”.

South Sudan is the world's newest nation and also one of the poorest, with fears growing of a return to a civil war that killed 400,000 people between 2013 and 2018.

Last week, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres urged regional and international leaders to prevent South Sudan from falling “over the abyss” into another conflict.

South Sudanese nationals had previously been granted “temporary protected status” (TPS) by the US government but that status was set to expire on May 3.

TPS shields foreign citizens against deportation who cannot safely return home because of war, natural disasters or other “extraordinary” conditions.

There were about 133 South Sudanese under the programme, with another 140 eligible to apply, the US Department of Homeland Security said in September 2023. But the Trump administration has begun overturning TPS.

South Sudan's First Vice President Riek Machar, right, was placed under house arrest last week, with the government of President Salva Kiir, left, accusing Mr Machar of trying to stir up a rebellion. AP
South Sudan's First Vice President Riek Machar, right, was placed under house arrest last week, with the government of President Salva Kiir, left, accusing Mr Machar of trying to stir up a rebellion. AP

Washington's singling out of South Sudan comes after growing numbers of Africans attempted to enter the US through its southern border – an alternative to risky routes into Europe.

Referring to the visa revocations, Mr Rubio said Washington “will be prepared to review these actions when South Sudan is in full co-operation”.

Mediators from the African Union arrived in Juba this week for talks aimed at averting a new civil war after the country's First Vice President Riek Machar was placed under house arrest last week.

The government of South Sudan President Salva Kiir has accused Mr Machar, a long-time rival who led rebel troops during the previous conflict, of trying to stir up a new rebellion.

Mr Machar's detention followed weeks of fighting in the northern Upper Nile state between the military and the White Army militia. Mr Machar's troops were allied with the White Army during the civil war, but deny any current links.

The 2013-18 war was contested largely along ethnic lines, with fighters from the Dinka, the country's largest group, lining up behind Mr Kiir, and those from the Nuer, the second-largest group, supporting Mr Machar.

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

Our legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

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Brief scores:

Day 2

England: 277 & 19-0

West Indies: 154

Jawab Iteiqal
Director: Mohamed Sammy
Starring: Mohamed Ramadan, Ayad Nasaar, Mohamed Adel and Sabry Fawaz
2 stars

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting

2. Prayer

3. Hajj

4. Shahada

5. Zakat 

WHAT IS GRAPHENE?

It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were experimenting with sticky tape and graphite, the material used as lead in pencils.

Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But when they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.

By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.

In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Defence review at a glance

• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”

• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems

• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.

• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%

• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade

• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels

The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

Specs

Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request

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Honeymoonish
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War and the virus
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Squid Game season two

Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk 

Stars:  Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun

Rating: 4.5/5

Real estate tokenisation project

Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.

The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.

Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.

Young women have more “financial grit”, but fall behind on investing

In an October survey of young adults aged 16 to 25, Charles Schwab found young women are more driven to reach financial independence than young men (67 per cent versus. 58 per cent). They are more likely to take on extra work to make ends meet and see more value than men in creating a plan to achieve their financial goals. Yet, despite all these good ‘first’ measures, they are investing and saving less than young men – falling early into the financial gender gap.

While the women surveyed report spending 36 per cent less than men, they have far less savings than men ($1,267 versus $2,000) – a nearly 60 per cent difference.

In addition, twice as many young men as women say they would invest spare cash, and almost twice as many young men as women report having investment accounts (though most young adults do not invest at all). 

“Despite their good intentions, young women start to fall behind their male counterparts in savings and investing early on in life,” said Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz, senior vice president, Charles Schwab. “They start off showing a strong financial planning mindset, but there is still room for further education when it comes to managing their day-to-day finances.”

Ms Schwab-Pomerantz says parents should be conveying the same messages to boys and girls about money, but should tailor those conversations based on the individual and gender.

"Our study shows that while boys are spending more than girls, they also are saving more. Have open and honest conversations with your daughters about the wage and savings gap," she said. "Teach kids about the importance of investing – especially girls, who as we see in this study, aren’t investing as much. Part of being financially prepared is learning to make the most of your money, and that means investing early and consistently."

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Updated: April 06, 2025, 10:57 AM`