Travel News
Switzerland rejects 50pc wealth tax over fears of millionaire exodus - THE TELEGRAPH
Switzerland has rejected plans for a new tax on the super-rich after wealthy residents threatened to leave the country.
Swiss households took to the polls in a referendum on Sunday on whether to impose a 50pc tax on all transfers of money or assets above 50m Swiss francs (£47m).
The proposal was put forward by the Left-wing youth party Young Socialists as a way of raising funds to tackle climate change. It would have affected around 2,500 people, or 0.03pc of the country’s population.
However, initial government estimates suggest that around 82pc of Swiss voters have opposed the move.
The plans, which would have upended Switzerland’s reputation as a low-tax haven, proved highly divisive and were met with staunch opposition from the Government and all political parties aside from those on the Left.
Critics warned that the measures would have damaged the country’s status as a home for the wealthy, adding that it risked a mass exodus of well-heeled individuals that would hit income tax takings and offset any proceeds.
Peter Spuhler, owner of rolling stock giant Stadler Rail and one of Switzerland’s richest people, was among the entrepreneurs who threatened to emigrate if the tax was introduced.
Switzerland has more than nine billionaires per one million inhabitants, more than five times the average for Western Europe, according to a study by UBS.
It also has favourable tax rules for wealthy foreigners that allow them to pay tax without fully declaring what they own.
But the country’s status is under threat from other low-tax hubs such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Hong Kong and Singapore, which are competing to lure wealthy individuals and families through generous tax concessions.
Switzerland’s rejection of the tax proposals comes as other countries across Europe take a more aggressive approach to taxing the wealthy.
This includes the UK, as Rachel Reeves last week introduced a mansion tax on properties worth more than £2m.
That followed her abolition of the non-dom regime that allowed wealthy residents to be domiciled outside the UK for tax purposes.
Italy has also stepped up a tax raid on the rich, raising its flat tax on ultra-rich foreigners by 50pc.
France’s parliament recently rejected a Left-wing demand for a wealth tax on households with assets worth more than €100m (£87.6m).
However, the country’s Socialist Party is now drawing up new plans to force rich individuals to lend money to the Government.
They say the measure, which would hit those with an income of more than €1m and net wealth of more than €10m, could raise up to €6bn.
African air travel grew 7.3% in October – IATA - PUNCH
African airlines recorded a 7.3 per cent year-on-year increase in passenger demand in October 2025, according to the latest data released by the International Air Transport Association.
The growth highlights the continued recovery and resilience of the region’s aviation sector.
Capacity for African carriers also increased, rising 5.3 per cent year-on-year, while the load factor improved to 74.1 per cent, up 1.4 percentage points compared to October 2024.
The report noted that global air travel is experiencing broad growth: “October was a strong month for air travel, with demand up 6.6 per cent on the previous year. Of particular note is the 4.5 per cent international traffic growth for carriers based in North America, which comes after several months of basically flat performance.
“The trends for the rest of the year look encouraging: scheduled seat capacity in November is set to expand 3.6 per cent and in December by 4.7 per cent.
This points to strong demand for holiday travel and businesses looking to complete deals by the end of the year.
“Considering the uncertainty in the economic outlook for 2026, the resilience of demand for air travel, with the jobs and growth it brings, is a bright spot that governments should nurture with care,” said IATA’s Director-General, Willie Walsh.
Regionally, European carriers also recorded strong performance, with a 7.4 per cent increase in demand, capacity up 6.0 per cent, and a load factor of 86.5 per cent (+1.2 percentage points compared to October 2024).
According to the report, “European carriers had a 7.4% year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity increased 6.0% year-on-year, and the load factor was 86.5% (+1.2 ppt compared to October 2024).”
For domestic travel in Africa, the sector remains on a steady growth path, contributing to broader economic activity across the continent. IATA’s data confirms that the African aviation market continues to recover and expand, supported by increasing international connectivity and improving operational efficiencies.
US mulls visa bans over alleged Christian killings in Nigeria - PUNCH
BY Gift Habib
The United States Department of State on Wednesday announced measures aimed at addressing what it described as mass killings and attacks targeting Christians in Nigeria.
The move signals that the US is considering visa restrictions against individuals and groups implicated in the violence.
“The United States is taking decisive action in response to the mass killings and attacks on Christians carried out by radical Islamic terrorists, Fulani militias, and other violent groups in Nigeria and beyond,” said Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a statement.
Under the new policy, implemented through Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, the State Department can restrict visas for anyone who has “directed, authorised, significantly supported, participated in, or carried out violations of religious freedom,” and, where appropriate, extend the restrictions to their immediate family members.
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Rubio added that these measures could be applied “to Nigeria and any other governments or individuals engaged in violations of religious freedom,” underscoring Washington’s concern over the rising attacks on vulnerable faith communities.
The announcement followed a briefing by US House Republicans on Tuesday, highlighting rising religious violence in Nigeria.
The session was convened at the direction of President Donald Trump, who instructed the House Appropriations Committee on October 31 to investigate what he described as the slaughter of Christians in the country.
The briefing, led by House Appropriations Vice Chair and National Security Subcommittee Chairman Mario Díaz-Balart, included members of the House Appropriations and House Foreign Affairs Committees, as well as religious freedom experts. Participants included Representatives Robert Aderholt, Riley Moore, Brian Mast, Chris Smith, US Commission on International Religious Freedom Chair Vicky Hartzler, Alliance Defending Freedom International’s Sean Nelson, and Dr Ebenezer Obadare of the Council on Foreign Relations.
President Bola Tinubu recently approved Nigeria’s delegation to the new US–Nigeria Joint Working Group, formed to implement security agreements from high-level talks in Washington led by National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.
The move follows growing concerns over terrorism, banditry, and targeted attacks on Christians in Nigeria, prompting increased US scrutiny and warnings about the protection of vulnerable faith communities.
President Trump, on Friday, October 31, 2025, put Nigeria on a list of “Countries of Particular Concern” for the reported killing of Christians in the country.
He previously designated Nigeria as a CPC in December 2020 during his first term in office, but that designation was reversed following his electoral defeat by President Joe Biden.
Following the re-listing, the US President, on November 3, said he would consider potential military action to protect Nigeria’s embattled Christians.
On November 20, the US House Subcommittee on Africa opened a public hearing to review Trump’s redesignation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, placing the country under heightened scrutiny for alleged religious-freedom violations. Lawmakers examined the potential consequences of the designation, which could pave the way for sanctions against Nigerian officials found complicit in religious persecution.
US widens travel ban to more than 30 countries, Noem says - REUTERS
Dec 4 (Reuters) – The U.S. plans to expand the number of countries covered by its travel ban to more than 30, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on Thursday.
Noem, in an interview on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle,” was asked to confirm whether the administration of President Donald Trump would be increasing the number of countries on the travel ban list to 32.
“I won’t be specific on the number, but it’s over 30, and the president is continuing to evaluate countries,” she said.
Trump signed a proclamation in June banning the citizens of 12 countries from entering the United States and restricting those from seven others, saying it was needed to protect against “foreign terrorists” and other security threats. The bans apply to both immigrants and non-immigrants, such as tourists, students and business travelers.
Noem did not specify which countries would be added to the list.
“If they don’t have a stable government there, if they don’t have a country that can sustain itself and tell us who those individuals are and help us vet them, why should we allow people from that country to come here to the United States?” Noem said.
Reuters previously reported that the Trump administration was considering banning citizens of 36 additional countries from entering the United States, according to an internal State Department cable.
An expansion of the list would mark a further escalation of migration measures the administration has taken since the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., last week.
Investigators say the shooting was carried out by an Afghan national who entered the U.S. in 2021 through a resettlement program under which Trump administration officials have argued there was insufficient vetting.
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Days after the shooting, Trump vowed to “permanently pause” migration from all “Third World Countries,” although he did not identify any by name or define “third-world countries.”
Prior to that, officials from the Department of Homeland Security said Trump had ordered a widespread review of asylum cases approved under the administration of his predecessor, Democratic President Joe Biden and Green Cards issued to citizens of 19 countries.
Since returning to office in January, Trump has aggressively prioritized immigration enforcement, sending federal agents to major U.S. cities and turning away asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border. His administration has frequently highlighted the deportation push, but until now it has put less emphasis on efforts to reshape legal immigration.
Chinese billionaires using US surrogates to create mega-families with 100 children - DAILY MAIL
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Chinese billionaires are using American surrogates to expand their 'unstoppable family dynasty' by breeding mega-families with more than 100 children.
Wealthy businessmen, who claim to have been inspired by the likes of Elon Musk, say they will fight declining birth rates in China.
The ban on domestic surrogacy in the country means some tycoons have spent up to $200,000 (£150,000) per child to ship their genetic material abroad to the US were laws are more lax.
One billionaire, Xu Bo, who made his money making fantasy video games, boasted of having 'a little of over 100' children.
Dubbing himself 'China's first father', Mr Xu appeared in court in 2023 when a judge denied his parental rights to four unborn children as it was found he had already fathered or was in the process of fathering another eight.
In court, Mr Xu said he hoped to have 20 US-born children via surrogates so they could take over his business.
He allegedly said he wanted boys because he considered them superior to girls - remarks which which a representative of his company, Duoyi Network, have since claimed he did not make.
Social media accounts linked to Mr Xu in the past have stated 'having more children can solve all problems' and fantasised about his offspring marrying those of Mr Musk, the Wall Street Journal reports.
His former partner, Tang Jing, claimed the business tycoon had fathered at least 300 children.
Babies born in the US are classed as American citizens through the 14th Amendment - though President Donald Trump is seeking to change this through a supreme court challenge.
Another wealthy Chinese executive, Wang Huiwe, is said to have hired American models as among his choice of egg donors to have 10 girls.
According to sources close to him, he wishes to marry them off to powerful men.
Nathan Zhang, the founder of IVF USA, a fertility clinic chain which branches across the US and Mexico added some of his 'crazy rich' clients from China wanted to make hundreds of babies born in America.
He said Elon Musk was 'becoming a role model now' and some customers had their sights set on 'forging an unstoppable family dynasty'.
Mr Zhang said he previously refused one businessman who asked for more than 200 children at once via surrogates - the request was turned down when the client became 'speechless' after being asked how he planned to raise them.
Other accounts include an agency owner in California saying he had helped a Chinese parent who was after 100 children via surrogacy and a Los-Angeles based lawyer claiming to have help his Chinese billionaire customer have 20 children.
Liu Pengyu, spokesman for the Chinese Embassy is the US insisted Beijing's position is surrogacy can lead to a 'serious family and social ethical crisis'.
Home Office visa restrictions 'to wipe £10.8 billion from UK economy' - EVENING STANDARD
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Tough new restrictions to legal immigration could result in an almost £11billion blow to Britain, it has been warned.
Sweeping immigration reforms limiting the number of people from abroad allowed to come here on visas will damage the economy, an impact assessment released by the Home Office on Wednesday suggests.
The projected cost ranges from £2.2 billion to £10.8 billion, with a base estimate of £5.4 billion, over the next five years.
These include an £800million drop from visa fees, billions-of-pounds less in income tax receipts and added pressure on stretched public services.
But the Home Office said the expected cost would be offset by “potentially unquantifiable benefits” as the Government plans to “get people back into work” and “upskill the domestic workforce”.
In July, the Government introduced changes to migration rules including to end overseas recruitment for care workers and raise the salary threshold again for skilled worker visas to £41,700 - u p from £38,700 - as part of a bid to curb
Migrants coming to work in Britain will also need to learn English to an A-level standard under stricter new rules, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said.
Tougher requirements for speaking, listening, reading and writing will be needed from next year for certain visas as part of the Government's immigration white paper measures, which are designed to reduce reliance on cheaper foreign labour.
The measures, first announced in May, have been introduced in stages throughout 2025 and into 2026.
The number of work-related visas being issued by the UK has decreased over the last two years, largely due to the amount of people coming to work in health sectors.
There were 17,000 health and care visas issued in the latest year, down 89% from the peak in the year ending December 2023, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) last month.
The number of skilled worker visas issued has also fallen, with 35,000 granted to main applicants in the year ending September 2025 - 46% fewer than the previous year.
Sir Keir Starmer hailed the drop as “a step in the right direction”.
Dr Dora Olivia Vicol, CEO of the Work Rights Centre, said the Home Office impact assessment showed that changes to restrict medium-skilled migration and end international recruitment of migrant care workers “could add a major blow to public finances, at a time when the Chancellor has had to make painful decisions”.
“These figures portray a significant loss to the UK’s workforce, with domestic workers somehow expected to fill in the gaps asap,” she added.
“The losses are almost certain: older people and disabled people will find it harder to get care, and between £10.8bn and £2.2bn will be lost in taxes; meanwhile, the benefits are uncertain and intangible.
“These changes deal the UK a bad hand with a lot to lose and little to gain.”
Preclearance for travel to the US – how does it work? - THE INDEPENDENT
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If you’ve flown the Atlantic to the US, perhaps you know the feeling: you’re exhausted after a long flight – and you might then spend an hour or more lining up for American immigration.
Edinburgh airport aims to solve that problem, by clearing transatlantic passengers through US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) formalities while they’re still on Scottish soil.
Preclearance is already in effect at nine Canadian airports, Dublin and Shannon in Ireland, Abu Dhabi in the UAE and the island nations of Aruba, the Bahamas and Bermuda.
To bring the facility to the UK requires a deal to be struck between governments. Edinburgh airport CEO Gordon Dewar told The Independent: “If the two governments can find that common ground, and can sit in a room and sign the agreement, we’ll be starting the build the next day.”
So how does preclearance work – and what are its benefits? These are the key questions and answers.
What is preclearance?
“The strategic stationing of CBP personnel at designated foreign airports to inspect travellers prior to boarding US-bound flights,” says the American agency.
From the passenger’s point of view, you turn up at your departure airport for the US, check in as normal and go through security. But then there’s a second security search and a US national border, staffed by American officials.
The officer at the desk will process you into the United States. You then step aboard your flight, and when you arrive in America instead of going through the usual formalities you’re treated as a domestic arrival – and can leave the airport, or transfer to another flight, immediately. Your luggage can connect through to your final destination without the need to pick it up and re-check it.
The closest the UK gets to anything similar is for travellers from England to France. There are “juxtaposed” border controls at the port of Dover, the Folkestone Eurotunnel terminal and London St Pancras, the Eurostar station. Travellers pass through French frontier controls and are treated as though they’re actually in France before they board a ferry or train.
How is the Dublin experience?
An entire mini-terminal is devoted to transatlantic travellers. From my experience it works extremely smoothly. Unlike on arrival at the US, when 300 people turn up at passport control all at once on a plane, there is a smooth flow of passengers and rarely any significant queues.
Many people from outside Ireland like the idea, and fly into Dublin specifically to preclear. The Irish airline Aer Lingus and Dublin airport are big beneficiaries.
Gordon Dewar, chief executive of Edinburgh airport, says he’s keen to emulate the success of the Irish capital: “I suspect Dublin has twice as many American routes as it would have without preclearance. That’s exactly why we think it would be incredibly powerful for Edinburgh, and we are pursuing it.”
Is there a race among UK airports to attract preclearance?
There certainly was prior to the pandemic. In particular, Heathrow was working towards the goal, because it has far more US flights than any other airport in Europe. Yet with airports making huge losses during Covid, the appetite appears to have subsided – because there are large costs involved. Heathrow’s transatlantic flights are spread across terminals 2, 3 and 5, with duplicate facilities required at each. Manchester airport does not detect much of an appetite for preclearance among airlines.
The other player is London Gatwick, which has the same owner as Edinburgh airport: Vinci Airports. It could be that the Scottish and English capitals work together through the tangle of red tape that needs to be addressed.
How soon could it happen?
Years rather than months. Once an intergovernmental agreement is signed, there needs to be more work with Customs and Border Protection and also the Transportation Security Administration.
So if a deal can be struck in 2026, it might be the summer of 2028 when you’re cleared to arrive in the US before you’ve even left Scotland.
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Net migration to UK could rise to 300,000 by end of decade, says government adviser -
Net migration to the UK could rise to about 300,000 by the end of the decade, a leading government adviser has said.
Prof Brian Bell, the chair of the migration advisory committee, said the overall migration figure would jump “in the medium term” from the current level of 204,000 as the numbers of overseas students and workers rose again.
Keir Starmer’s election manifesto pledge is to reduce net migration, as Labour heads towards a general election campaign where immigration is expected to be a major issue.
Bell’s comments also reinforce a prediction by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), which suggested last month there could be a rise before the end of the decade.
“I might expect a bit of a bounceback that’s consistent with what the OBR predict in their economic and fiscal outlook. They expect it to return to more like 300,000 in the medium term and I think that’s a reasonable prediction,” Bell said.
Net migration peaked at a record 944,000 in the year to March 2023, due to a surge of foreign workers encouraged to come to the UK by Boris Johnson’s government as the UK emerged from the Covid pandemic, but has fallen sharply since then.
Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures last month showed there was a 69% drop, from 649,000, in the number of people immigrating minus the number of people emigrating in the year to June 2025.
Just under 900,000 people immigrated to the UK between July 2024 and June 2025, down more than 400,000 on the year before. At the same time, 693,000 people emigrated from the UK, up by 43,000 on the previous year.
Bell’s comments have emerged as the committee publishes two reports on Wednesday. It also predicted that people allowed to move to the UK to live with their partners will cost the economy £5.6bn over their lifetimes
About 51,000 people entered the UK in 2022-23 as partners under family visas, entitling them to live and work here. More than half were unemployed and it was projected that over the course of their lifetime each individual would have a “net fiscal cost” of £109,000. the government “to do more” to halt the abuse of nannies, housekeepers, chauffeurs and personal carers brought into the UK on overseas domestic worker visas. According to the the committee’s annual report: “The scale of exploitation and abuse on the ODW [overseas domestic workers] route is unknown and we do not suggest that all
“Nevertheless, we know that abuse and exploitation does occur, and that the route as currently constituted allows employers who wish to behave in this way to operate more or less unchecked.”
It added: “Enforcement on the route is difficult for practical and operational reasons, but more could be done if the government wants to reduce the risks of exploitation.”
Earlier this month, the committee said it had estimated the lifetime fiscal contribution of the cohort of skilled workers who arrived in 2022-23. They are expected to make a net positive contribution of about £47bn to the public finances over their lifetimes.
This estimate is after factoring in the long-term use of public services by migrants who stay and settle in the UK with their families.
US adds Nigeria to travel restriction list - PUNCH
President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed a proclamation further restricting entry to the United States for nationals from countries deemed high-risk due to “demonstrated, persistent, and severe deficiencies in screening, vetting, and information-sharing” that threaten U.S. national security and public safety.
Among the 15 additional countries newly subject to partial restrictions is Nigeria.
The announcement comes directly from the White House website, in a fact sheet titled “President Donald J. Trump Further Restricts and Limits the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States,” issued December 16, 2025.
Trump had earlier on October 31 declared Nigeria as a ‘country of particular concern’ in response to allegations of a Christian genocide in the country.
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Giving the reason for adding Nigeria to the list, the US stated, “Radical Islamic terrorist groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State operate freely in certain parts of Nigeria, which creates substantial screening and vetting difficulties”.
According to the Overstay Report, Nigeria had a B-1/B-2 visa overstay rate of 5.56 percent and an F, M, and J visa overstay rate of 11.90 per cent.
The White House described the action as “strengthening national security through common sense restrictions based on data.”
The proclamation continues full restrictions and entry limitations on nationals from the original 12 high-risk countries under Proclamation 10949: Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.
It also adds full restrictions and entry limitations on five additional countries: Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria, along with individuals holding Palestinian Authority-issued travel documents. Laos and Sierra Leone, previously subject to partial restrictions, now face full restrictions.
Nationals from Burundi, Cuba, Togo, and Venezuela remain under partial restrictions.
The Proclamation adds partial restrictions and entry limitations on 15 additional countries, including Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
The fact sheet notes that “exceptions for lawful permanent residents, existing visa holders, certain visa categories like athletes and diplomats, and individuals whose entry serves U.S. national interests” are included.
It also states that family-based immigrant visa carve-outs that carry “demonstrated fraud risks” have been narrowed, while case-by-case waivers remain possible.
In explaining the rationale, the White House fact sheet emphasises that the Proclamation is necessary “to prevent the entry of foreign nationals about whom the United States lacks sufficient information to assess the risks they pose, garner cooperation from foreign governments, enforce our immigration laws, and advance other important foreign policy, national security, and counterterrorism objectives.”
The fact sheet quotes Trump directly: “It is the President’s duty to take action to ensure that those seeking to enter our country will not harm the American people.”
It adds that, after consultations with cabinet officials and assessments based on Executive Order 14161, Proclamation 10949, and country-specific information, “President Trump has determined that the entry of nationals from additional countries must be restricted or limited to protect U.S. national security and public safety interests.”
The restrictions are country-specific “in order to encourage cooperation with the subject countries in recognition of each country’s unique circumstances,” the fact sheet says, highlighting challenges such as “widespread corruption, fraudulent or unreliable civil documents and criminal records, and nonexistent birth-registration systems—systemically preventing accurate vetting.”
Some countries, it notes, “refuse to share passport exemplars or law-enforcement data,” while others allow Citizenship-by-Investment schemes that conceal identity and bypass vetting requirements.
The fact sheet also cites “high visa-overstay rates and refusal to repatriate removable nationals” and the presence of “terrorist, criminal, and extremist activity” in several restricted countries.
The White House fact sheet frames the move as part of President Trump’s ongoing national security agenda: “President Trump is keeping his promise to restore travel restrictions on dangerous countries and to secure our borders.”
It references the Supreme Court’s prior ruling on similar restrictions, noting that the Court found the policy “is squarely within the scope of Presidential authority” and that it is “expressly premised on legitimate purposes”—specifically “preventing entry of nationals who cannot be adequately vetted and inducing other nations to improve their practices.”
Finally, the fact sheet notes that Turkmenistan, which previously faced restrictions, has made progress in cooperation with the U.S., prompting the new Proclamation to lift the ban on its nonimmigrant visas while maintaining the suspension of entry for Turkmen nationals as immigrants.
Air Peace, Overland Boost Domestic Connectivity with Ibadan, Abuja Flights - THISDAY
Air Peace and Overland Airways have announced the resumption of daily return flights between Ibadan and Abuja from December 24, 2025, following the reopening of Ibadan Airport to commercial operations.
Air Peace said the move was aimed at restoring seamless air access for travellers in Oyo State and neighbouring areas, with the airline responding to renewed passenger demand for direct connectivity to the nation’s capital.
The airline said fares on the route will start from N95,000, positioning the service as an affordable option during the festive rush and beyond.
The Ibadan, Abuja return is part of Air Peace’s wider domestic expansion, which includes the resumption of Warri flights and additional frequencies across its network to manage increased yuletide traffic and sustain growth into 2026.
Backed by the recent addition of a third Embraer 190 aircraft to its fleet, Air Peace reaffirmed its commitment to improving connectivity, easing travel stress and supporting economic activity through reliable air transport services.
Overland said the resumption of flight operations between Ibadan and Abuja, followed the reopening of the airport.
Chief Operating Officer of Overland Airways, Mrs. Aderonke Emmanuel-James, described the development as a significant milestone, noting that the airline is the pioneer operator on the Ibadan route.
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