Senegal women's basketball training in US cancelled after visas rejected
A training session for the Senegalese women's basketball team in the US has been scrapped, with the West African nation's prime minister saying he cancelled it because some of the squad were denied US visas.Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko said the team would now train in Senegal's capital, Dakar, "in a sovereign and conducive setting".It comes amid reports that the US plans to impose fresh travel restrictions on 25 more African countries, including Senegal.Earlier this month the US announced a ban on citizens from 12 countries, including seven from Africa. There were also partial travel restrictions on nationals from a further seven countries, with three from Africa.
It remains unclear why the Senegalese athletes were denied visas, as the US Embassy is yet to publicly comment on the matter."Informed of the refusal of issuing visas to several members of the Senegal women's national basketball team, I have instructed the Ministry of Sports to simply cancel the ten-day preparatory training initially planned in the United States of America," Sonko said on Thursday in a statement shared to social media.Reports say five Senegalese basketball players and 13 team officials were travelling to meet other members of the squad and their coach who were already in the US, to warm up for the 2025 Women's AfroBasket tournament in Ivory Coast next month. But their visa applications were not approved.Chad halts US visas in revenge for Trump travel banTrump's tariffs could be death knell for US-Africa trade pactThe visa refusals are raising eyebrows because, according to the recently leaked diplomatic cable containing details of the extended travel restrictions, targeted countries were given up to 60 days to address the concerns raised by the US.These reportedly include people overstaying their visas, lack of co-operation with deportations, links to terror attacks in the US, anti-semitism or anti-American activity.Following the reported new travel restrictions, Senegal's foreign ministry urged nationals to comply with their permitted periods of stay in the US.Although it did not directly comment on Senegal's possible inclusion in the latest list of restricted countries, the government statement underscored that diplomatic and consular services were working in close collaboration with the US administration.Meanwhile, Nigeria's Foreign Minister Yussuf Tuggar said the expanded travel bans could impede possible energy and rare earth mineral deals which West African countries can offer the US. The Trump administration insists national security concerns and the high rate of visa overstays from some countries must be addressed.Additional reporting by Natasha Booty
More BBC stories about Senegal:
Why Baye Fall Muslims worship through work and communityBorn in France but searching for a future in AfricaSenegal starts producing oil as president promises benefits
Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent.Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
30 minutes ago
- The Independent
ICE detains green card holder on return from Japan where he was visiting his Air Force member son
A 66-year-old green card holder is in custody in Bakersfield, California, after he was apprehended by ICE last month following a trip to Japan. Victor Avila, who first received his card in 1967, was arrested as he arrived in San Francisco with his wife after the pair had been in Asia to visit their son, a serving member of the US Air Force, according to a GoFundMe page that has been set up. In an interview with ABC San Diego, Vila's daughter, Carina, said that her mother, a US citizen, was allowed to pass through immigration control, but he was kept behind. Carina said that her father was first kept in an ICE office in the airport, 'in a room, sleeping on chairs.' He was later transferred to Bakersfield, some 230 miles from his home. His daughter added that her father received his green card immediately after first legally immigrating to the US with his family from Mexico. Avila, a legal assistant at a workers' compensation law firm, has a minor criminal record stemming from a 2009 arrest for DUI and drug possession, which saw him spend some time in prison. 'Two misdemeanors. Served all his time, paid all he had to pay. Since then, he has been a good man and a hard worker. Hasn't gotten into trouble, not one time. He's dedicated himself to his family,' Carina said. His green card has been renewed twice since then. His family has launched a campaign to secure his release, involving letter-writing and crowdfunding efforts. 'I've visited him several times. There are days he's hopeful, optimistic. Then there's days he mentally prepares himself for the worst. I want my dad back. I want my dad home,' Avila faces a court hearing on July 15. At the time of writing, Avila's GoFundMe page has raised $21,500. According to the most recent update on the page, ICE has initiated deportation proceedings against Avila. Protests over federal immigration enforcement raids have been flaring up around the country. Opponents of Trump's immigration policies took to the streets as part of the 'no kings' demonstrations Saturday that came as Trump held a massive parade in Washington for the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army. Saturday's protests were mostly peaceful. But police in Los Angeles used tear gas and crowd-control munitions to clear out protesters after the event ended. Officers in Portland, Oregon, also fired tear gas and projectiles to disperse a crowd that protested in front of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building well into the evening.
Telegraph
36 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Has Trump ‘chickened out' on Iran? Five reasons for his two-week delay
On Tuesday evening, Donald Trump appeared poised to join Israel's war against Iran. Having left the G7 summit in Canada early, he convened an emergency meeting of his national security advisers. JD Vance, his vice-president and a staunch opponent of foreign military entanglements, signalled that the president was contemplating action. Mr Trump issued a series of increasingly bellicose warnings, demanding Iran's 'unconditional surrender'. 'We know exactly where the so-called 'Supreme Leader' is hiding,' he wrote in a social media post. Yet within 48 hours, the president had pulled back. To some observers of US politics, this will seem like another instance of Mr Trump living up to his 'Taco' instincts – 'Trump Always Chickens Out', the acronym that so palpably infuriates him. There are, however, several plausible reasons for delay. Domestic disputes Mr Trump's flirtation with war has sharply divided his base. Maga loyalists, whose foreign policy instincts are overwhelmingly isolationist, are aghast at the prospect of their standard-bearer dragging them into a new conflict, especially after campaigning so forcefully against just such adventurism. 'Anyone slobbering for the US to become involved in the Israel/Iran war is not America First/Maga,' Marjorie Taylor Greene, one of Mr Trump's most ardent Congressional allies, posted on social media.
The Independent
39 minutes ago
- The Independent
Pope Leo XIV flags AI impact on kids' intellectual and spiritual development
Pope Leo XIV warned Friday that artificial intelligence could negatively impact the intellectual, neurological and spiritual development of young people as he pressed one of the priorities of his young pontificate. History's first American pope sent a message to a conference of AI and ethics, part of which was taking place in the Vatican in a sign of the Holy See's concern for the new technologies and what they mean for humanity. In the message, Leo said any further development of AI must be evaluated according to the 'superior ethical criterion' of the need to safeguard the dignity of each human being while respecting the diversity of the world's population. He warned specifically that new generations are most at risk given they have never had such quick access to information. 'All of us, I am sure, are concerned for children and young people, and the possible consequences of the use of AI on their intellectual and neurological development,' he said in the message. 'Society's well-being depends upon their being given the ability to develop their God-given gifts and capabilities,' and not allow them to confuse mere access to data with intelligence. 'In the end, authentic wisdom has more to do with recognizing the true meaning of life, than with the availability of data,' he said. Leo, who was elected in May after the death of Pope Francis, has identified AI as one of the most critical matters facing humanity, saying it poses challenges to defending human dignity, justice and labor. He has explained his concern for AI by invoking his namesake, Pope Leo XIII. That Leo was pope during the dawn of the Industrial Revolution and made the plight of workers, and the need to guarantee their rights and dignity, a key priority. Toward the end of his pontificate, Francis became increasingly vocal about the threats to humanity posed by AI and called for an international treaty to regulate it. Francis said politicians must take the lead in making sure AI remains human-centric, so that decisions about when to use weapons or even less-lethal tools always remain made by humans and not machines. ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
