France to increase tuition fees for non-EU students starting 2026-27 academic year
via Punch Nigeria1 min read
France will implement higher tuition fees for most non-European Union students from the 2026-27 academic year. Under the new policy, non-EU students will pay €2,895 annually for bachelor’s programs and €3,941 for master’s degrees. This reform eliminates previous university flexibility to waive or reduce fees, establishing a standardized national framework. Higher education minister Philippe Baptiste stated that differentiated fees are now the rule, with exemptions becoming the exception, limited to only 10% of international students. The government also plans to allocate approximately 60% of scholarships to priority fields such as artificial intelligence, quantum science, digital technology, and biotechnology. France Universités has criticized the policy, warning of potential consequences for access and university independence, and suggesting it may contradict France’s traditional values of hospitality and openness. The organization also expressed concern that higher fees could deter prospective international students and increase administrative burdens. These changes will affect students applying for the 2026-27 academic year.
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The Nigerian Communications Commission NCC and the Corporate Affairs Commission CAC have jointly announced new compliance requirements for telecommunications companies in Nigeria. The directive mandates that telecom companies obtain a Letter of No Objection from the NCC before transferring shares amounting to 10 percent or more of their total share capital. This requirement, based on the Nigerian Communications Act NCA 2003, takes immediate effect for NCC-licensed companies proposing changes in ownership or control, including multiple share transfers that collectively exceed the 10 percent threshold. Mrs. Nnenna Ukoha, NCC Director of Public Affairs, stated that the CAC will ensure evidence of NCC approval before registering shareholding changes. The policy aims to prevent anti-competitive practices, preserve a fair and competitive market structure, strengthen oversight of ownership changes, and improve transparency, investor confidence, and regulatory certainty, ultimately safeguarding the long-term stability of Nigeria’s communications sector. Both agencies are committed to promoting a transparent business environment and fair market practices to support the industry's sustainable growth.
Must ReadNigeria experienced 279 kidnappings and 842 deaths across 156 violent incidents in May 2026, according to new data from Nextier’s Nigeria Violent Conflicts Database. These figures represent a rise in insecurity compared to May 2025, with violent incidents increasing by 51.5 percent, casualties by 90.1 percent, and kidnap victims by 19.7 percent. Amid concerns that peacebuilding efforts are not yielding measurable results, development practitioner Jamilu Musa and Dr. Chukwuma Okoli, a Political Science lecturer at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, warned in a Nextier policy article that weak impact assessment frameworks undermine intervention effectiveness. They noted that measuring peacebuilding outcomes is challenging due to intangible indicators like trust and social cohesion, and shrinking international funding partly due to global crises and shifting economic priorities. Musa and Okoli proposed four key indicators for peacebuilding assessments: conflict dynamics, social cohesion, governance and inclusion, and resilience/conflict prevention. They identified challenges such as attribution bias, short donor funding cycles, and poor baseline data. To address these, they recommended modern evaluation tools, institutionalizing peace measurement frameworks, and stronger collaboration among stakeholders to ensure interventions make communities safer, more inclusive, and more resilient.
US President Donald Trump issued a threat to Iran on Sunday, stating that the US would strike if Iran did not prevent Hezbollah from "causing trouble." This warning came as peace talks between senior US and Iranian officials commenced in Switzerland. The negotiations are taking place against a backdrop of recent clashes between the Israeli army and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, which could jeopardize the preliminary peace deal between Tehran and Washington. Trump posted on Truth Social that Iran must immediately stop its "highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble," adding, "If they don’t, we’ll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!!" Israeli airstrikes on Saturday in eastern and southern Lebanon killed at least 30 people before a halt in fighting that evening. A memorandum of understanding signed Wednesday between the United States and Iran mandates a cessation of hostilities on all fronts, including in Lebanon. US Vice President JD Vance stated at the start of the talks in Switzerland that he had observed "great progress in the last just couple of days in ensuring that the ceasefire holds in Lebanon." Vance also claimed that Trump and the United States have done more to stop the conflict in Lebanon than any other country recently.