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Why are some passports worth more than others?
What in the World
Aug 20, 2024

Research shows that people in Africa are disproportionately rejected for visas over other nationals. While passport holders from Singapore can sail straight past immigration in many countries they visit.

To understand the unfair disparities that exist between passport holders, we speak to Stephanie Hegarty, the BBC’s global population correspondent. We learn about the new version of the Henley passport index (which lists the strength of passports), and why nationality plays a huge role in shaping the outcome of a person’s visa application, especially to countries in the West.

The BBC’s Tessa Wong, a Singaporean national, explains why her passport ranks the strongest in the world. And Daniel Dadzie, a BBC reporter, tells us about his personal experience of applying for a student visa to study in the UK from Ghana.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Benita Barden, Mora Morrison and Claudia Efemini Editor: Verity Wilde

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The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is under fire. It is the world’s biggest donor and spends billions of dollars a year, funding programmes around the world, like fighting malaria in Bangladesh, clearing unexploded landmines in Cambodia and Laos and providing medical supplies in Sudan.

But President Trump says it is run by “radical lunatics” and he and billionaire Elon Musk, who’s got the job of trying to slash American government spending, want to shut it down. They have paused almost all international spending for 90 days and issued “stop work” orders to their staff. BBC journalist Nathalia Jimenez tells us what USAID does - and why the Trump administration wants to close it.

A large proportion of USAID funding goes towards healthcare and HIV medication in sub-Saharan Africa. Makuochi Okafor, the BBC’s Africa Health correspondent tells us what impact closing USAID could have in this region.

Anselm Gibbs, a BBC reporter based in Trinidad and Tobago, tells us about programmes USAID funds in the Caribbean. And Hilde Deman from Search for Common Ground, an international NGO that uses USAID funding in countries affected by violent conflict, talks about the impact to their work in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: William Lee Adams Producers: Benita Barden and Julia Ross-Roy Editor: Rosanna La Falce


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Why are some passports worth more than others?

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