International
Students in America Lament Loan Burden
Americans are currently lamenting about the student loan burden which some students are kicking against.
If the United States Supreme Court had not overruled President Joe Biden’s programme to cancel billions of dollars in student debt, Satra D. Taylor, who borrowed $40,000 to complete her studies, could have seen that amount reduced by half.
Now the 27-year-old – who used the loan to study at the University of Michigan, supplementing a scholarship and other financial aid – is back on the hook for the whole sum.
“We created this unjust, inequitable, expensive, higher education system and so we need to redress it,” she told AFP, standing before the high court.
Biden’s forgiveness programme was meant to lift more than $400 billion in student debt weighing down the lives of millions of lower and middle-income Americans.
Certain borrowers would have been eligible to receive $20,000 in cancellations, while the vast majority were eligible for $10,000.
But the court overruled the programme Friday, stating that given the large sum, the president had overstepped his powers.
“Any American who wants to pursue higher education should be able to do so,” Taylor said.
“We have students now who have not acquired the generational wealth to pay for their cost of college, it needs to be debt-free,” added Taylor, who works for the youth advocacy group Young Invincibles.
Taylor said she was not surprised given the Supreme Court’s conservative majority, which on Thursday banned the use of affirmative action in university admission policies.
Taylor, who is African American, said the loan forgiveness decision was a setback for Black and Latino students who “would have disproportionately benefitted from this relief.”
“This is absolutely not only a social justice issue, but also a racial equity issue.”
– ‘Future generations’ –
Mina Schultz, 37, who borrowed approximately $65,000 for her studies, emphasized the impact student debt has on the entire economy.
When the pandemic hit and student loan repayments were frozen, it was “a blessing,” she told AFP from outside the Supreme Court.
People were “able to contribute more to the economy” by spending money elsewhere, whether on food as prices surged due to inflation or on things like rent, the George Washington University graduate said.
Schultz would have benefited from $10,000 in debt cancellation, which “would have been really helpful.”
That sort of money “is a huge deal to a lot of people,” said Schultz, who will be forking over some $340 per month when payments resume in several months.
Enjoying a seemingly debt-free life during the repayment pause, she was able to move out of her studio apartment and into a one-bedroom unit.
Nearby, Shanna Hayes, 34, could not contain her emotion as she spoke before several cameras: Her debt, originally $130,000, now exceeds $150,000 due to compounding interest that has accrued over the past 11 years.
“I ask you to remember that the student debt crisis impacts our grandparents, parents… children and future generations,” she told the reporters.
AFP
The United States President, Donald Trump, has announced that the US has carried out a “very successful attack” on three major nuclear sites in Iran: Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan.
Trump said, “All planes are now outside of Iran’s airspace.”
Trump made this known via his social media platform, Truth Social.
According to the US President, “We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan.
All planes are now outside of Iran’s airspace. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow. All planes are safely on their way home. Congratulations to our great American Warriors.
There is no other military in the World that could have done this. NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE! Thank you for your attention to this matter.”
This is the first time the United States Army will use the bunker bombs in its military history.
A bunker buster is a type of munition that is designed to penetrate hardened targets or targets buried deep underground, such as Iran’s Fordow nuclear site, buried deep inside the mountains, believed to be around 300 feet deep.
As of the time of filing this report, Iran has yet to react to the US military action, but the State media told journalists that the three sites bombed by the US have all been evacuated some time ago before the strike.
This attack is coming as a surprise to many who believed that diplomacy, rather than military action, should be engaged after US President Trump gave a two-week window for negotiation with Iran.
It was earlier reported that Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Khemenei, vowed to retaliate if the United States strikes nuclear targets in Iran, threatening to attack US military bases in the Middle East if Trump entered the conflict with Israel.
Ayatollah had earlier yesterday named three successors after several assassination threats from Israel and the United States.
Nigeria has taken delivery from the Netherlands of 119 pieces of priceless “Benin Bronze” artefacts looted more than 120 years ago, the country’s museum commission and the Dutch embassy said June 18.
It is the latest return of artefacts to Africa, as pressure mounts on Western governments and institutions to hand back the spoils of colonial oppression.
“On this historic occasion it gives us great joy to finally welcome the return of 119 Benin Bronzes from the Netherlands,” said Mr Olugbile Holloway, director-general of Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments.
“This represents the largest physical return to Nigeria and the people of Benin since the looting of the Benin Royal Palace by the British in 1897,” he said in a statement jointly issued with the Dutch embassy in Nigeria.
“The symbolism of this occasion cannot be overemphasised and what it means for the pride and dignity of not just the Benin people, but the whole of Nigeria,” added Mr Holloway.
The story of the Benin Bronzes is one of violence and tragedy. It began when nine British officers were killed on a trade mission to the then-independent kingdom of Benin, in the south of present-day Nigeria.
The British reaction was fierce. London deployed a military expedition to avenge its officers.
The troops killed several thousand locals and torched Benin’s capital city. They looted the royal palace, stealing hundreds of artworks, including the Benin Bronzes.
Most of the ornate bronzes were then sold to finance the expedition, auctioned off or sold to museums across Europe and the United States.
This was in 1897, and 128 years later, Nigeria is still negotiating the return of the bronzes around the world – with mixed results.
Dutch Ambassador for International Cultural Cooperation Dewi van de Weerd hailed Nigeria for persistently campaigning for the return of the cultural artefacts.
“We hope that this restitution is not the final chapter, but the foundation for further cooperation between Dutch and Nigerian museums,” said Ms van de Weerd in the joint statement.
Of the 119 objects, 113 were part of the Dutch State Collection, while the Rotterdam municipality returned the other six. The pieces will be officially handed over on June 21.
The Israeli missiles has reportedly struck Iran’s state television headquarters on Monday while a live news broadcast was underway.
The development sent shockwaves through the studio and caused the immediate stoppage of the broadcast.
A viral video circulating on social media and reposted by Daily Iran Military shows the moment chaos erupted during a live transmission.
A visibly shaken female anchor was delivering the news when a thunderous explosion rattled the studio.Thick smoke and falling debris forced her to flee her desk mid-broadcast.
It was earlier reported that at least eight people were killed on Saturday night when Iranian aerial strikes on Israel.
The deceased included four children, with more than 200 others injured, according to Israel’s Foreign Ministry.
The barrage came in retaliation for Israel’s surprise strike early Friday on Iran’s nuclear programme.
According to Israeli officials, that operation killed several nuclear scientists and high-ranking military leaders.
Meanwhile, a fresh report by SBM Intelligence has warned that the conflict between Israel and Iran could lead to an increase in fuel prices in Nigeria.
The report attributed this to the fact that Nigeria still relies heavily on importing fuel to meet local demand.
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