Trump praises Haley, says she will make money
Washington, Oct 11: Describing Indian-American Nikki Haley as an "extraordinary person", President Donald Trump has said the outgoing US ambassador to the UN is "going to make a lot of money" in the private sector, which she intends to join.
Haley, 46, the first Indian-American to hold a Cabinet-ranking position in any US presidential administration, tendered her resignation Tuesday, which Trump accepted.
She had hinted in her resignation letter that she is headed to the private sector after two years at the UN and, before that, six years as South Carolina's governor.
She is likely to stay in the position till the year-end so that her successor could be nominated and confirmed by the Senate. Trump exuded confidence that Haley would return to his administration in some capacity at some point.
"Nikki is going to be here until the end of the year. Nikki is our friend. She has been great. I want whoever it is to spend some time with Nikki before Nikki goes out and gets herself a job, and hopefully does -- she's going to make a lot of money. And I think Nikki will come back in some form too. But she's an extraordinary person, good person," Trump told reporters at the White House on Wednesday.
Trump told reporters that he was considering the name of four-five persons as her replacement. One of them being Dina Powell (45), the former deputy national security adviser to Trump.
Asked about the timing of Haley's resignation, that too just before the mid-term polls, Trump said nothing much should be read into this.
"There's no good time. I mean, there could be no good time. She told me about this a long time ago. And, frankly, it's almost four weeks. So, it's not that bad. No, I don't think so at all. I thought it was very elegantly done," he said.
"If she waited until after, then they'd say, 'Oh, she '. You know, if we win, they'd say, why is she doing it. And if we lose, they'd say, oh, well, that's obvious why she's doing it. Okay? So there's really no good time to do it," the President added.
Trump said Haley spoke to him about it some six months ago. "She and I had spoken at least six months ago. Maybe even a year ago, we had conversations. She wanted to be here for about two years. I think the point really was, last week at the United Nations, she wanted to get through that and then go, probably into the private sector for a while," he said.
The Washington Post on Wednesday said that Haley served in the Trump administration and departed with most of her dignity intact. "That, in and of itself, is what makes her extraordinary," the daily said.
At the Pentagon, Defence Secretary James Mattis said Haley had been a wonderful representative for the US. "She has been just a tremendous asset to those of us here in the Department of Defence," he said, adding that he worked very closely with her.
"We saw ourselves in many occasions collaborating together on how we would deal with certain issues, alongside the secretary of state. She's done yeoman's work up there, and I would just tell you that she may be moving on but losing our respect one bit," Mattis said.
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UK imposes study visa bans on Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar, Sudan
London (PTI): The UK on Wednesday imposed a study visa ban on four countries accused of using the route as a backdoor entry to seek permanent refuge in the country, as part of a wider clampdown on the soaring rates of asylum applications.
The so-called "emergency brake" on student visas applies to Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan, with Afghans also subject to a skilled worker visa ban following a major surge in asylum claims from these countries.
The move comes as UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood introduces new legislation in Parliament this week, with the visa brake to be introduced via an Immigration Rules change on Thursday to come into force on March 26.
"Britain will always provide refuge to people fleeing war and persecution, but our visa system must not be abused," said Mahmood.
“That is why I am taking the unprecedented decision to refuse visas for those nationals seeking to exploit our generosity. I will restore order and control to our borders,” she said.
According to official statistics released by the Home Office alongside the visa ban announcement, asylum applications by students from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan rocketed by over 470 per cent between 2021 and 2025 – making them among the most likely nationalities to claim asylum.
Meanwhile, the number of Afghans on work visas claiming asylum now outstripping the number of visas issued.
In what has been described as an “unprecedented step”, the Home Office said it will end sponsored study visas from all four countries and skilled worker visas for Afghan nationals.
“Tough action is required as asylum claims from legal routes have more than trebled since 2021 – making up 39 per cent of the 100,000 people who applied last year. In total, 133,760 people have claimed asylum after arriving legally in the past five years,” the Home Office said.
It said these refugees end up having to be accommodated at the expense of the British taxpayer, with an “above average proportion” of people from the four countries claiming destitution.
“Asylum support is currently costing more than 4 billion pounds a year – with nearly 16,000 nationals from the four countries currently supported at public expense, including over 6,000 in hotels," it added.
According to official data, between 2021 and the year ending September 2025, the proportion of Afghan asylum claims to study visas issued was 95 per cent, applications by students from Myanmar soared 16-fold over the same period and claims by students from Cameroon and Sudan spiked by more than 330 per cent.
The government pointed to its success in reducing student asylum claims by 20 per cent over the course of 2025, but stressed that further action is needed as those arriving on study visas still make up 13 per cent of all claims in the system.
The visa ban announcement comes on the back of Mahmood's announcement earlier this week that asylum status in the UK will be temporary, to be reviewed after 30 months.
