Credit: BBC

In the middle of the night on Monday, Rachel Bloor stirred in her bed to find a heavy weight curled up on her chest.

Half asleep, she reached out for her dog – and instead found herself petting a smooth, slithering object.

As Bloor retreated further under the covers and pulled them up to her neck, her partner switched on the bedside lamp and confirmed the Brisbane couple’s fears.

“He goes, ‘Oh baby. Don’t move. There’s like a 2.5m python on you,” Bloor told the BBC.Her first words were expletives.

The second, an order to evacuate the dogs.

“I thought if my Dalmatian realises that there’s a snake there… it’s gonna be carnage.”

The dogs secured outside the room – and her husband wishing he was with them – Bloor began carefully extricating herself.

“I was just trying to shimmy out from under the covers… in my mind, going, ‘Is this really happening? This is so bizarre’.

“She believes the carpet python – which is non-venomous – had squeezed itself through the shutters on her window onto her bed below.

Once freed from the python, she began casually feeding it back out the way it came in.

“It was that big that even though it had been curled up on me, part of its tail was still out the shutter.”

“I grabbed him, [and] even then he didn’t seem overly freaked out. He sort of just wobbled in my hand.”

It was that big that even though it had been curled up on me, part of its tail was still out the shutter.”

“I grabbed him, [and] even then he didn’t seem overly freaked out.

He sort of just wobbled in my hand.”The same couldn’t be said for her stunned husband, but Bloor herself was barely fazed, having grown up on acreage around snakes.”I think if you’re calm, they’re calm.”

The United States Department of State has announced a temporary suspension of visa processing for applicants from 75 countries, including Nigeria, as part of a broader immigration crackdown under the Trump administration.

The policy, detailed in an internal memo first reported by Fox News, directs consular officers to refuse visa issuances under existing legal authorities while the department conducts a comprehensive reassessment of screening, vetting, and adjudication procedures.

The suspension is set to take effect on January 21, 2026, and will remain in place indefinitely until the review is completed. Officials emphasized that the pause aims to prevent the entry of individuals likely to become a “public charge” — meaning those who may rely heavily on public benefits or welfare programs — citing long-standing immigration law provisions.

A State Department spokesperson stated: “The State Department will use its long-standing authority to deem ineligible potential immigrants who would become a public charge on the United States and exploit the generosity of the American people. Immigration from these 75 countries will be paused while the State Department reassesses immigration processing procedures.

“The affected countries span Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and other regions. The move follows heightened scrutiny triggered by recent events, including a major fraud scandal involving public benefits in Minnesota (primarily linked to Somali nationals) and broader concerns over visa overstays, security vetting challenges, and financial self-sufficiency of applicants.

Key Details of the Suspension

– Scope: Applies to various visa categories, including immigrant and nonimmigrant visas (with some variations reported across sources).

– Duration: Indefinite, pending completion of the department’s review.- Rationale: Stricter enforcement of the “public charge” rule, considering factors such as age, health, English proficiency, finances, and potential need for long-term care.

– Context:

This builds on earlier restrictions, including partial visa suspensions effective January 1, 2026, under Presidential Proclamation 10998, which targeted specific countries (including Nigeria for certain visa types) due to security, overstay rates, and vetting difficulties.

Full List of Affected Countries

The following 75 countries are reportedly included in the suspension (as compiled from multiple reports, including Fox News, Reuters, and Nigerian media outlets):

– Afghanistan- Albania

– Algeria

– Antigua and Barbuda

– Armenia

– Azerbaijan

– Bahamas

– Bangladesh

– Barbados

– Belarus

– Belize

– Bhutan

– Bosnia

– Brazil

– Burma (Myanmar)

– Cambodia

– Cameroon

– Cape Verde

– Colombia

– Cote d’Ivoire

– Cuba

– Democratic Republic of the Congo

– Dominica

– Egypt

– Eritrea

– Ethiopia

– Fiji

– Gambia

– Georgia

– Ghana

– Grenada

– Guatemala

– Guinea

– Haiti

– Iran

– Iraq

– Jamaica

– Jordan

– Kazakhstan

– Kosovo

– Kuwait

– Kyrgyzstan

– Laos

– Lebanon

– Liberia

– Libya

– Macedonia

– Moldova

– Mongolia

– Montenegro

– Morocco

– Nepal

– Nicaragua

-Nigeria

– Pakistan

– Republic of the Congo

– Russia

– Rwanda

– Saint Kitts and Nevis

– Saint Lucia

– Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

– Senegal

– Sierra Leone

– Somalia

– South Sudan

– Sudan

– Syria

– Tanzania

– Thailand

– Togo

– Tunisia

– Uganda

– Uruguay

– Uzbekistan

– Yemen

This policy has raised significant concerns among prospective travelers, particularly from high-volume visa applicant nations like Nigeria, where many seek student, tourist, work, or family-based visas annually. It comes amid the administration’s ongoing emphasis on immigration enforcement and national security.

Applicants from unaffected countries or those with existing valid visas (issued before relevant effective dates) are generally not impacted, though case-by-case exceptions may apply.

For the most current official guidance, individuals should consult the U.S. Department of State website or their local U.S. embassy/consulate.

The announcement marks one of the broadest visa processing halts in recent years, reflecting the administration’s continued focus on stringent immigration controls.

China’s top diplomat kicks off a New Year trip to Africa on Wednesday, the foreign ministry said, seeking to boost trade on a four-country circuit that includes several recent political hotspots.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s tour of the continent’s east and south will take him to Ethiopia, Somalia, Tanzania and Lesotho, concluding on Monday, the ministry said in a statement.

The visits are in keeping with the Chinese diplomatic convention of recent decades, whereby the foreign minister’s first overseas trip of the year is to Africa.

The current tour “aims to deepen political mutual trust with all parties… (and) strengthen exchanges and mutual learning”, foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said Wednesday at a regular news conference.

China is Africa’s top business partner, with trade reaching $296 billion in 2024, according to Chinese state media.

Beijing has sent hundreds of thousands of workers and engineers to the continent and gained strategic access to its vast mineral riches, including copper, gold and lithium.