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
An Indian fighter jet has crashed while performing a display at an airshow in Dubai, officials have said.
Details later.
A Bangladeshi war crimes tribunal has sentenced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to death.
The verdict, delivered on Monday, November 17, 2025, follows a months-long trial that found Hasina guilty of ordering a lethal crackdown on a student-led uprising last year. She received a death sentence for the killing of several protesters and a life sentence on charges of crimes against humanity.
The ruling marks the most significant legal action against a former Bangladeshi leader in decades and comes ahead of parliamentary elections expected in early February 2026. There was cheering and clapping in the courtroom as the death sentence was pronounced. The verdict can be appealed in the Supreme Court, though Hasina’s son and adviser, Sajeeb Wazed, said they would not appeal unless a democratically elected government, including the Awami League, is in office.
Prosecutors told the court that evidence showed Hasina directly ordered security forces to use lethal force to suppress protests in July and August 2024. A United Nations report estimates that up to 1,400 people were killed during the demonstrations, with thousands more injured, making it the deadliest unrest in Bangladesh since its 1971 war of independence.
Hasina, represented by a state-appointed defense lawyer, denied the charges, calling the tribunal proceedings unfair and claiming a guilty verdict was “a foregone conclusion.”
Tensions in Bangladesh had escalated ahead of the verdict, with at least 30 crude bomb explosions and 26 vehicles torched in recent days, though no casualties were reported.
International
BREAKING: US House of Representatives Begins Investigation Into Alleged Christian Genocide in Nigeria
The United States House of Representatives Subcommittee on Africa will on Thursday, November 20, 2025, hold a public hearing to examine President Donald Trump’s decision to redesignate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) over alleged violations of religious freedom.
The hearing, scheduled for 11 a.m. in Room 2172 of the Rayburn House Office Building and to be streamed live, will be chaired by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), a long-standing advocate for global religious liberty.
According to an invitation circulated to members of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, the session will feature two panels. The first will include senior U.S. State Department officials—Jonathan Pratt, Senior Bureau Official for African Affairs, and Jacob McGee, Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor.
A second panel will comprise representatives of religious and policy organisations, including Nina Shea of the Centre for Religious Freedom, Bishop Wilfred Anagbe of the Makurdi Catholic Diocese, and Oge Onubogu of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
The review aims to assess the extent of religious persecution in Nigeria and consider potential U.S. responses, which could include sanctions, humanitarian support, or expanded collaboration with Nigerian authorities.
Trump’s Renewed Pressure
President Trump reignited tensions on October 31, 2025, when he restored Nigeria to the CPC list, a designation that allows punitive measures against foreign officials accused of religious repression. In a statement the following day, he warned that Christians in Nigeria faced an “existential threat,” and threatened to suspend all U.S. assistance to Nigeria if the killings continued. He also suggested possible military action, directing the “Department of War” to prepare for intervention.
Tinubu Rejects Allegations
President Bola Tinubu dismissed Trump’s claims, saying they do not reflect the realities of religious freedom in Nigeria. In a statement posted on X, Tinubu insisted that Nigeria upholds constitutional protections for all faiths and remains committed to religious tolerance.
Growing Scrutiny in Washington
Nigeria’s CPC redesignation has revived international attention on years of violent attacks in parts of the country, including killings, mass abductions, and the destruction of churches in northern and central regions. A companion bill backing the designation has also been introduced in the U.S. Senate by Senator Ted Cruz.
One of the scheduled witnesses, Bishop Anagbe, has regularly highlighted the plight of Christian communities in Benue State, telling UK lawmakers in March 2025 that many families had fled to IDP camps following repeated assaults by extremists and armed groups.
Republican Lawmakers Apply Pressure
Rep. Riley Moore (R-WV), in a recent Fox News interview, said congressional committees had already begun evaluating the situation, working with the State Department and the White House. He argued that Christians in Nigeria face severe persecution and criticised Tinubu’s rejection of the allegations. Moore also claimed that preliminary congressional findings indicate Christians are being killed at a rate higher than Muslims.
He added that the CPC designation provides the U.S. with a range of options—including sanctions, freezing funds, and even potential military action—if conditions do not improve.
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