MALI RENAMES COLONIAL FRENCH STREET NAMES. (PHOTO).

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 Mali renames colonial French street names Mali followed Burkina Faso and Niger on Wednesday in renaming streets and squares in its capital to get rid of their French colonial names, AFP reported. Streets bearing the names of members of France's colonial administration have been rebaptised in Bamako, according to a decree by the junta chief. Cedeao Avenue (the French acronym for the Economic Community of West African States or ECOWAS) is also now named after a new strategic confederation that Mali has formed with Burkina Faso and Niger – the Alliance of Sahel States (AES). In all, nearly 25 names have been replaced, among them boulevards, streets, squares and public establishments. Niger and Burkina Faso have already made several changes to street and monument names in the last two years. In October, Niger renamed several historic sites in its capital Niamey which previously bore references to old colonial master France. Mali has been ruled by the military since back-to-back coups ...

QATAR JOINS THE US VISA WAIVER PROGRAM. (PHOTO).


 Qatar joins the US Visa Waiver Program


On Tuesday, Qatar became the second Muslim-majority country to join a program that lets its citizens travel to the United States without needing a visa. The US Departments of State and Homeland Security announced that Qatar met strict requirements to enter the visa waiver program.


To qualify, countries must have a low rate of visa refusals, a low number of visa overstays, and agree to treat American travellers similarly. Currently, American visitors can stay in Qatar without a visa for up to 30 days.


“Qatar has been an exceptional partner for the United States, and our strategic relationship has only grown stronger over the past few years,” the departments said in a statement. “This is further evidence of our strategic partnership and our shared commitment to security and stability.”


Qatar, which has been involved in negotiating a cease-fire deal in Gaza and was a key U.S. partner during the withdrawal from Afghanistan, is now the 42nd country to be part of this program. Most nations in the program are long-time US allies in Europe and Asia, with Brunei being the only other Muslim-majority country included.

Although Qatar has a population of just over 3 million, only about 320,000 of these are Qatari citizens eligible for the program if they have valid passports. The majority of residents in Qatar are foreign workers and expatriates without Qatari citizenship.


The visa waiver program allows citizens from qualifying countries to visit the U.S. for business or tourism for up to 90 days without a visa. However, travellers must still apply for approval through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), which can be done online and does not require an in-person interview like traditional visa applications.

Starting October 1, US citizens will also be able to visit Qatar without a visa for 90 days. Israel was the last country to join this program in 2023, despite concerns about its treatment of Palestinian Americans and other groups.

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