World News: U.S. to revoke all visas held by South Sudanese over deportation dispute

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The U.S. has announced it will immediately revoke all visas held by South Sudanese passport holders, citing the African nation's failure to accept the return of its repatriated citizens.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement on Saturday that South Sudan's transitional government has not complied with international norms by refusing to accept its nationals deported from the United States.

As a result, the U.S. Department of State is revoking all existing visas held by South Sudanese citizens and halting the issuance of new visas to these individuals.

The unprecedented decision, the first of its kind aimed at a specific country since the Trump administration took office, comes amid concerns about a potential return to civil war in the African nation.

Rubio accused South Sudan's government of "taking advantage of the United States" and added that the U.S. is prepared to review the recent actions once South Sudan demonstrates full cooperation in accepting its repatriated citizens.

In the Middle East, two British Members of Parliament have been denied entry into Israel during a planned visit to the occupied West Bank. Israel accused the two lawmakers of plans to spread "anti-Israel hatred."

Labour MPs Abtisam Mohamed and Yuan Yang, were detained upon arrival at Israel's Ben Gurion International Airport on Saturday local time.

The Israeli immigration authority stated they intended to "document the security forces and spread hate speech against Israel," leading to their deportation.

The MPs asserted that they were part of a parliamentary delegation, alongside charities, visiting humanitarian aid projects in the West Bank.

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy called Israel's actions "unacceptable, counterproductive and deeply concerning."

In the African country of the Democratic Republic of Congo, torrential rain led to severe flooding in the capital, Kinshasa, over the weekend, resulting in at least 22 deaths.

46 people were hospitalized, and 75 families also had to be temporarily relocated due to the conditions.

The flooding disrupted access to more than half of the city and its main airport.

While Kinshasa, home to over 12 million residents, experiences frequent flooding during the rainy season, the weekend's rain marks the city's first major deluge of the year.

Similar flooding in the capital city in 2022 killed over 100 people.

Finally, in the U.S. state of Los Angeles, a minke whale that had been swimming in Long Beach Harbor last week was found dead on Sunday morning local time.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is collaborating with local officials to determine the cause of death.

Earlier efforts to guide the whale out of the harbor were unsuccessful as it repeatedly returned despite attempts by experts to encourage its departure.

The whale's appearance in the harbor last week had attracted crowds eager to catch a glimpse of the marine mammal.

Choi Chi-hee, Arirang News.