Latest news with #Eid
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Operation Sindhu: 2 more flights with evacuated Indian students from Iran to land tonight; government steps up rescue efforts
Boarding of the evacuation flight from Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. India has stepped up efforts in bringing back its citizens under Operation Sindhu from conflict ridden Middle East with back and forth attaks between Israel and Iran enterng Day 8. A day after flight carrying 110 Indians landed in Delhi, two more evacuation flights have been scheduled to arrive in India on Friday night. The first aircraft will touch down in Delhi at approximately 11:30 pm from Mashad, whilst the second flight from Ashgabat is expected to land in Delhi at about 3 am on Saturday. Whilst Indian embassies in Tehran and Tel Aviv are facilitating evacuations, many individuals dispersed across religious centres and universities face uncertain and dangerous circumstances regarding their return. Ten students from Bulandshahr's Sakhni village in UP have been unreachable since the recent missile strikes in Iran. Among them is 22-year-old Sadaf Zehra, a third-year MBBS student at Tehran University. Her father, Zia-ul-Hassan, said, "She said she was fine, then her phone went off. The next day she called and said the university had moved them to a safer location three hours away." Azhar Abbas, another student, survived a missile strike that claimed five of his classmates. "We spoke to him in a video call three days ago," said his uncle, Muzammil Abbas. "Since then, there has been no contact." Abbasi Beghum, 60, experienced dangerous blood pressure levels upon hearing about the attacks. "I lost my husband three years ago. I worked hard to send my son abroad." Across UP, numerous families face similar situations. Several pilgrims from Lucknow, Prayagraj, Varanasi and Meerut were stranded in Iran, including 28 pilgrims from Lucknow, amongst them 83-year-old Kaneez Haider. The group had departed for Iraq on May 27 and entered Iran on June 9, planning to visit Karbala, Mashhad, Tehran, Nishapur and Kashan. Many had initially completed Haj, concluding with Eid on Monday, before proceeding to Iran - a typical route for Shia pilgrims visiting religious shrines. Tour operator Aqeel Jafar Rizvi of Mehndi Tours and Travels reported over 1,000 pilgrims from Lucknow in Iran, many experiencing financial difficulties and limited medicine access. Families in Kithaur's Isapur area of Meerut confirmed 11 additional pilgrims, including families with children, remain stranded.
Hindustan Times
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Assam Cattle Preservation Act to be strictly implemented: Himanta
Guwahati, The Assam Cattle Preservation Act will be strictly enforced in all districts of the state to prevent availability and consumption of beef within a five km radius of religious places of worship, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Friday. ''The availability and consumption of beef during the recent Eid festival despite the ban within a 5 km radius of temples and other places of worship is a very serious matter. In this regard, we will take strict action under the Assam Cattle Preservation Act, 2021'', Sarma said at a press conference here. After the Eid Uz Zuha festival this year, it has been seen that in some areas of sensitive districts like Dhubri, Goalpara and Hojai, several attempts have been made to create disturbances by throwing body parts, particularly skulls near temples and prayer halls, he said. Sarma said that it has been observed that these have occurred near localities where beef consumption during Eid is common and all are within the restricted area of 5 km radius of places of religious worship. ''This has been in clear violation of the Assam Cattle Preservation Act which clearly states that beef consumption or its sale and distribution is banned within a radius of 5 km of religious places of worship. The concerned district administrations did not enforce this provision strictly leading to this situation'', he said. If people had been made aware of the 5 km restrictions, these incidents could have been avoided, he added. ''I have directed all district commissioners to strictly implement the Act and ensure that slaughter, sale or consumption of beef is banned within the restricted area'', he said. In places like Lakhimpur and Lakhipur in Goalpara district, it has been seen that these incidents have occurred in areas classified as tribal belts and blocks of Village Grazing Reserve and Professional Grazing Reserve where in many cases, people have occupied the land illegally, Sarma said. ''Even the leader of the opposition had said in the assembly that immigrants who came after a certain year cannot legally occupy or claim the land as their own. I have directed district commissioners and additional district commissioners to conduct a survey in these areas to identify those people whose families have not lived in Assam for at least three generations and prepare a list of all those people living in tribal belt, block or in VGR/PGR, particularly in the sensitive areas which will help us to take necessary legal action'', he said. On Wednesday, seven persons were arrested following the alleged recovery of three cow skulls, approximately 30 metres from a 'Namghar' , in Lakhimpur district. Recently, shoot-at-sight orders at night were issued in Dhubri where a day after the Bakrid, a cow's head was found in front of the Hanuman Temple and again the next day, another skull was found again there along with incidents of stone pelting reported. On June 8, Sarma had said that a number of cattle were allegedly slaughtered illegally at several places during the Bakrid festival and parts of the meat were thrown at multiple locations across Assam. Police have so far arrested over 60 people with over 50 in Dhubri alone in connection with illegal slaughter of cows with the intention of creating communal disturbances in the state.
The Hindu
10 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Indian students and the death of the American Dream
Kabir has spent the past few months running. Every morning, before the California sun begins to glare on the cracked sidewalks, he slips on his shoes and bolts out the door. The run, he says, is what keeps him sane. 'It's the only time I can make a plan. What to say to the lawyer. Which papers to organise. Who to call for help.' How not to fall apart. Kabir (name changed on request), who had arrived from Pune to study at the University of California, had his student visa revoked along with thousands of others across the country. The email had come without warning. It had given him no time to prepare. Just a sudden vanishing of the ground beneath his feet. He hasn't stopped running since. 'I got this news on April 2, just a day after Eid. I had wanted to go home, but couldn't in these circumstances,' he says. And now, it may be a long while before he can. His Eid kurta and suit are still on the hanger, waiting to be worn. His apartment still carries the remnants of a celebration that didn't last. A few half-deflated balloons cling to the ceiling — a bittersweet memory, as just a few days before his visa revocation, he had won the H-1B lottery (a random selection process by which a limited number of H-1B visas are allotted every year). In the weeks that followed, Kabir's days became a blur — mornings on the pavement, afternoons in legal and immigration offices, evenings in community centres where other students like him sat huddled on plastic chairs, comparing legal notes, wondering what they had done wrong. Each time, the same questions, the same uncertainty, hung like static in the air. 'I run, I walk, I travel. Anything to escape my thoughts,' says Kabir. And yet, they are everywhere. In the faces of the other students who are caught in the same dragnet. In a mural stretched across a wall in Los Angeles that says, 'My brother and I are my parents' American Dream.' In the eye of the storm Kabir's story is not his alone. Thousands like Kabir have been left in limbo, their futures upended by the shifting tides of immigration law and political mood in the United States. In March, the Trump administration announced that it was cancelling $400 million in federal funding for Columbia University 'due to the school's continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students' and other alleged violations. Similar action was also directed against other Ivy League institutions such as Cornell, UPenn, Harvard, Brown, and Princeton. More than 1,800 students from nearly 250 colleges in the U.S. have had their visas revoked and their SEVIS records terminated without notice or due process. The American Immigration Lawyers Association estimates that 50% of those affected are from India. 'We are seeing many Indian students being targeted: Megha Vemuri and Prahlad Iyengar of MIT, Ranjani Srinivasan of Columbia, Badar Khan Suri of Georgetown University. This has had a chilling effect on the psyche of Indian students. They are carrying passports from the dorm to the classroom, which is not something typical. They are having conversations around what to do if ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] shows up on campus,' says Akil Kasubhai, an alumnus of the University of Michigan and co-president of SAATH, a community that empowers South Asian youth to drive political change. What began as visa revocations of students who participated in or supported pro-Palestine protests had metastasised by April. Suddenly, hundreds of international students had their visas revoked. Denying student visas based on social media vetting is the latest step in this quickly unravelling saga. Rohan Soni, an alumnus of Columbia University and co-president of SAATH, says it is unfortunate that Indian students are targeted when they really just want to focus on their education. 'Most Indian students are quite reserved when it comes to politics. They keep a low profile so that they can get their degrees, join the workforce, and make a better life for themselves,' he says. 'We are seeing many Indian students being targeted. This has had a chilling effect on their psyche. They are going from dorm to classroom carrying their passports.'Akil KasubhaiUniversity of Michigan alumnus and co-president of SAATH A larger ideological campaign The Trump administration's move to ban international students has been unfolding alongside a systematic rollback of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programmes across the country. In January 2025, an executive order directed all federally funded institutions to terminate all race- or gender-based diversity programmes, claiming they were in violation of meritocratic ideals and civil rights law. Soon after the order, the Department of Education launched investigations into 45 colleges for 'race-exclusionary practices'. The Department of Homeland Security also imposed stricter limitations on student visas: narrower Optional Practical Training (OPT) eligibility, intensive background checks, and increased scrutiny of STEM graduates, most of whom are from countries like India and China. Solidarity with Harvard The cloudy skies on Harvard's graduation day on May 29 were not new for Boston summer. But the bright blue globes held against the darkening sky were. These globes belonged to Harvard graduates who had raised them as a sign of solidarity with the international student body at the institution. Alan Garber, president of Harvard, echoed the sentiment as he opened his speech: 'To the class of 2025, from down the street, across the country, and around the world. Around the world — just as it should be.' As his words drew a standing ovation, just eight kilometres away, a judge was working to extend a court order allowing Harvard to enrol international students. Only a week earlier, on May 22, the Department of Homeland Security had revoked that ability. This had come on the heels of billions frozen in funding by the government and threats to strip Harvard of accreditation and tax-exempt status. The administration cited concerns over campus activism and alleged antisemitism. Even as Harvard fought back, arguing that these were retaliatory moves undermining institutional autonomy and academic freedom, Trump issued another proclamation on June 4 barring Harvard-bound international students for six months. This time, when the federal judge granted a temporary restraining order to halt enforcement, she also acknowledged 'immediate and irreparable injury' — a phrase that is more than just legalese for the thousands of international students caught in the dragnet. According to the Community Explainer by the South Asian American Policy Working Group, a network of organisations that address policy issues affecting South Asian communities, 'More than 1,800 students from nearly 250 colleges have had their visas revoked and their SEVIS records terminated without notice or due process. Only about half of them received actual notice of their visa revocations, so many might not even be aware of their visa termination.' SEVIS, or the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, maintained by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, keeps an electronic record of the immigration status of international students and exchange visitors. 'A lot of students got nervous and self-deported. Who knows when they will be able to come back now. At the same time, there are others who are not leaving the U.S. for that very reason. It is a double-edged sword. They are afraid to go, they are afraid to stay.'Sonjui KumarChair of Board, Asian Americans Advancing Justice (one of the organisations advocating for students' rights in Georgia) Indian students have been hit the hardest All these changes in the past few months, however, have not impacted all international students equally. Indian students, the largest single group of foreign students in the United States, have been hit especially hard. The American Immigration Lawyers Association estimates that 50% of those affected are from India. In this climate of uncertainty, international students find themselves in the crosshairs. Kabir says there was no explanation given when his visa was revoked. 'We were left to guess what the issue could be.' In some cases, visas were revoked because of a late fee payment, a long-forgotten speeding ticket, or an old address not updated in time. He remembers one Indian student who had his visa revoked because of a fine for catching the wrong-sized fish. 'The most serious infraction by an Indian student that I came across was a DUI [driving under the influence],' says Kabir. Normally, minor infractions don't result in visa revocation, according to Atlanta-based Sarah Hawk, Partner & Chair of Immigration and Global Mobility at Barnes & Thornburg, a business law firm. In the case of these students, often the infractions happened a long time ago and were never proven. 'South Asians, of whom Indians are the largest number, tend to be more racially profiled,' says Kalpana V. Peddibhotla, Executive Director of California-based South Asian American Justice Collaborative. 'One of my clients, an Indian student, was once arrested on false allegations by a security officer at the mall. The police officer who arrested him found no evidence of wrongdoing. Yet, this student, who went on to graduate and do his OPT training, suddenly had his visa revoked after all these years. It has cost him his entire career, just as it is costing so many other students the same way,' she adds. These crackdowns have also raised concerns about surveillance and due process. Suneeta Dewan, a New York-based immigration lawyer, says that social media vetting has left most students confused. 'It's very random, very arbitrary. Students are worried and are asking if they should self-deport. They don't know what could get them into trouble.' Kabir says he has not met any of the students whose visas were revoked because of social media posts. 'People say they have gone underground.' In this atmosphere, for Kabir and other Indian students, even running everyday errands has turned into an act of vigilance. Every time they are outside and see a police car, someone always jokes, 'Hey, is that ICE?' And then they all go quiet. 'This is being used not necessarily to vet out security threats, but to enforce an agenda of reducing the number of international students from India,' says Peddibhotla. Susan Kerley, therapist and Clinical Director at Marietta Counseling for Children and Adults, Georgia, warns of life-altering trauma to students. 'Imagine going through this as a young adult in a foreign country where you no longer know whom or what you can trust. The changing rules have created uncertainty, stress, and anxiety. The students haven't changed; the rules have. It is disempowering,' she says. 'I would encourage students to think of the history of visa — who is included and who is excluded in these parameters. I think of this as an opportunity to understand our relationship to history and to the civil rights movement .'Swati BakreMentor, The Family Institute at Northwestern University Legal battlegrounds Some students are actively resisting civil rights rollbacks. Nationwide, they have filed over 65 lawsuits, of which they have secured temporary relief in 35. In Georgia, for instance, 133 students had their visas reinstated. Kabir is one of the students who got his visa reinstated in California. 'It happened out of the blue. They said there had been a mistake.' He is still reeling from the impact of what had happened. 'I was getting ready to leave the country. I had discussed who would take on my house sublease, who would get my furniture, who would take care of my plants. It was just a matter of boarding a flight,' he says. But the struggle is far from over. 'I can't leave the U.S. for now,' says Kabir. Once a visa is revoked, even reinstatement does not guarantee re-entry. 'Even though the courts have addressed the issue in some cases where the visas were revoked, if you have a student visa that was cancelled, you can't leave and then come back,' says Nisha Karnani, Partner at Georgia-based Antonini & Cohen Immigration Law Group. Kabir says there are many who did not get their visa reinstated. They packed in a hurry, booked the cheapest flight home, and were gone, leaving behind their hard work, their dreams, their investment. Hawk's business client had someone on a student visa who had his status revoked and had to leave for India. Later, he received a notification that they had made a mistake. But the damage had already been done. 'Now he has to get another visa appointment and a visa stamp for F-1 to enter,' she says. 'South Asians, of whom Indians are the largest number, tend to be more racially profiled. This (the crackdown) is being used not necessarily to vet out security threats, but to enforce an agenda of reducing the number of international students from India.'Kalpana V. PeddibhotlaExecutive Director of California-based South Asian American Justice Collaborative American Dream no more? At over 27% — 4.2 lakh in total — Indians form the largest group of international students in the U.S., as per a 2024 report by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Following the upheavals in the system, however, the picture seems to be changing dramatically. 'I ran an analysis that compares SEVIS data from March 2024 and March 2025. The most dramatic shift is the 27.9% decline in Indian students,' writes Chris R. Glass, Professor of Practice in the Department of Educational Leadership and Higher Education at Boston College, on his Substack. That's almost one lakh fewer Indian students who have chosen the U.S. as their education destination in 2025. 'There is a massive shift in the mentality of international students; they feel less comfortable coming to the U.S.,' says Soni of SAATH. As Indians look to other countries for higher education opportunities, it's not just a loss for students but also for the United States. 'International students boost the U.S. economy,' reminds immigration attorney Karnani. According to College Board, a 120-year-old U.S.-based non-profit that pioneered the SAT and AP tests, the average tuition and fees for an undergraduate student are $30,780 in public institutions and $43,350 in private institutions, not including the standard cost of living of $10,000-$25,000 per year. During the 2023-24 school year, 1.1 million international students contributed nearly $44 billion to the U.S. economy, as per NAFSA: Association of International Educators. At 27%, Indian students contributed almost $12 billion to that amount. Not only do the students bring in money, they also produce some of their best work here. 'International students are a huge part of industry and innovation in the country,' says Kesubhai. Emerging as new favourites among Indian students are France, New Zealand, Germany, Bangladesh, Russia, Ireland, and Uzbekistan, according to a report by Arpan Tulsyan, Senior Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation. She writes, 'For Indian middle-class families, sending a child to the U.S. involves several years of savings — with costs ranging between ₹3.5 million and ₹5 million annually. Any uncertainty for visa approval or the work authorisation process turns U.S. education into a high-risk investment, significantly altering the family's cost-benefit analysis.' Learnings from a crisis The visa ban may be legally contested, but the intent behind it lingers as the aftershock of a political earthquake. Swati Bakre is a trauma-informed clinician. She is also an educator and mentor at The Family Institute of Northwestern University. She says, 'I would encourage students to think of the history of visa — who is included and who is excluded in these parameters. I think of this as an opportunity to understand our relationship to history and to the civil rights movement because the present moment does not stand in isolation from the past.' For international students, their futures are held hostage to an ideological war they did not start. A war that is no longer just about policy. It is about who gets to belong. Who gets to learn. Who gets to dream in a language not their own. It is also about the purpose of education in America and whether institutions like Harvard can continue to be spaces for freedom, debate, and plurality in a time when those very ideals are being recast as threats. Bakre says, 'I would like to validate the anxiety that these students are feeling. But I would also ask them to take perspective, realign, and think of the best way to make an impact in this world. This crisis could be an opportunity for them to be really conscious of what they want to do and why, what they are looking for from an education in the U.S., and whether their goals are being met in this environment.' Kabir says his mother breaks down on every phone call. 'My family background is in the Indian Navy. I get support from my brother and father. But it's hard for my mother. My nephews and nieces also tell me, 'Come home, Chachu'.' But it will be a while before Kabir can come home to his family. In this environment, the waiting room has shifted. It is no longer outside the U.S. embassy in Delhi or beneath the blinking screens at JFK International Airport. It now resides inside the body. Indian students in the United States know this space well. It follows them from campus hallways to summer sublets. They wait. For visa reinstatements. For legal appointments. For someone in the administration to see them not as a number but as a name. They wait to be home as they dream of an Indian summer while being stuck on American soil. They wait for mango season and for a world that will let them taste it. The writer is a USC Annenberg Fellow for Writing and Community Storytelling, and deputy editor of the U.S.-based Khabar magazine.
Hi Dubai
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Hi Dubai
LEGOLAND® Dubai Resort and Dubai Customs Surprise Families at Dubai Airport
In celebration of Eid Al Adha, LEGOLAND® Dubai Resort partnered with Dubai Customs and Dubai Airport to surprise arriving families with a joyful and unexpected welcome at Terminal 3 on Sunday, 8th June 2025. As passengers arriving, waited at the baggage carousel, children were amazed to see LEGOLAND gift bags arriving with their luggage — each bag labelled with a child's name. Greeted by beloved LEGOLAND Boy and Girl costume characters, the families received the gift bags containing LEGO® sets, plush toys, and complimentary tickets to either LEGOLAND Dubai Theme Park or Water Park, valid to use until 3rd December 2025. The activity was met with smiles, laughter, and heartfelt reactions as families arrived with smiles, laughter, and heartfelt reactions as families arriving expressed their happiness at receiving such a warm and thoughtful welcome into the UAE during Eid. The initiative also reflects the spirit of the UAE's Year of Community, celebrating unity, generosity, and meaningful moments that bring people together. At LEGOLAND Dubai Resort, we believe in creating unforgettable moments for families — and this Eid, we wanted to bring a little extra magic right to Dubai airport. Seeing the surprise and delight on the children's faces was truly heartwarming, and we're grateful to our partners at Dubai Customs and Dubai Airport for helping us make this vision come to life. — Tim Harrison-Jones, General Manager, LEGOLAND® Dubai Resort Khalid Ahmed, Director of Passenger Operations at Dubai Customs, expressed his delight in taking part in this special initiative, which brought joy to children and their families arriving at Dubai Airport during the Eid Al-Adha holiday. He emphasised that Dubai Customs is committed to enhancing the travel experience and contributing to Dubai's vision of becoming the world's tourism capital. He noted that, The initiative left a positive impression on travellers, who appreciated Dubai's efficient procedures and the pleasant surprises that make their visits memorable and encourage them to return. He also highlighted that Dubai Customs continually works to ensure smooth and seamless passenger movement, particularly during peak times such as holidays and major events. News Source: Empyre Communications
Korea Herald
10 hours ago
- Business
- Korea Herald
Long Weekend Stays Driving Asian Travelers to Regional Destinations According to Agoda
Hoteliers advised to take advantage of additional public holidays to maximize occupancy and revenue SINGAPORE, June 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Asia's diverse and regular stream of public holidays is proving to be a boost to the Asia Pacific (APAC) travel industry as Asian tourists look to maximize their leisure time. Digital travel platform Agoda reveals that Asian travelers looking to travel long weekends are largely opting to stay in the APAC region, highlighting an opportunity for hoteliers to capture rising demand for more frequent, short stays. Agoda saw an 80% month-on-month increase in accommodation searches from Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore ahead of the Eid long weekend. Favored destinations were Japan, Thailand, China, South Korea and Taiwan. There was a similar trend during the Songkran long weekend in Thailand - with Hong Kong, Osaka, Shanghai and Seoul proving to be top choices. The recent long weekend in Vietnam, which encompassed Liberation Day and Labor Day, saw Bangkok, Singapore, Tokyo and Seoul being the most searched destinations. "The opportunity for hotels and airlines to secure bookings and incentivize travelers to extend their trips and add ancillary items to boost revenue over long weekends has never been greater," said Andrew Smith, Senior Vice President of Supply, Agoda. "Hotels should ensure they are using the right data to target the hottest consumers from across the Asia Pacific region and ensure that their service offerings are tailored to their regional tastes. For example, catering for visitors with large families by ensuring they are able to access larger and joined rooms for family travel." There are still multiple long weekends to come in the region in 2025 including: By proactively offering packages that cater to long weekend stays and micro-vacations, hotels can capitalize on these trends. Some strategies include: Agoda offers a wide range of options to suit these preferences. With over 5 million holiday properties, more than 130,000 flight routes, and over 300,000 activities, Agoda provides endless possibilities for creating unforgettable travel experiences.
