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Saudi Gazette
5 days ago
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
US embassies must vet students for ‘hostile attitudes' but can resume visa appointments, State Department says
WASHINGTON — The US State Department told embassies and consulates they must vet student visa applicants for 'hostile attitudes towards our citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles' but said they should resume appointments that were paused in late May. The new guidance was sent to US diplomatic posts worldwide in a cable seen by CNN Wednesday. It says the vetting will look at student and exchange visa applicants' 'entire online presence.' Applicants will be asked to set their social media profiles to public as part of the new vetting, and the cable notes that 'limited access to, or visibility of, online presence could be construed as an effort to evade or hide certain activity.' It comes as the Trump administration has taken significant actions that are likely to deter international students from coming to the US. It has aggressively revoked student visas and specifically targeted Harvard University. The latest guidance 'requires consular officers to conduct a comprehensive and thorough vetting of all FMJ applicants, including online presence, to identify applicants who bear hostile attitudes towards our citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles; who advocate for, aid, or support designated terrorists and other threats to U.S. national security; or who perpetrate unlawful antisemitic harassment or violence,' according to the cable. The guidance, which applies to both new and returning applicants for student and exchange visas, formally known as F, M, and J visas, calls for 'a review of the applicant's entire online presence – not just social media activity – using any appropriate search engines or other online resources,' including 'a check of any databases to which the consular section has access.' The guidance, first reported by the Free Press, does not give details of what constitutes 'hostile attitudes towards our citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles.' The cable says embassies and consulates should implement the new vetting within five business days. They 'should resume scheduling FMJ appointments but should consider the effect of this guidance on workload and schedule accordingly.' It is unclear if embassies and consulates will be able to process as many visas as before given the new vetting standards. They should prioritize expedited visa appointment requests for 'J-1 physicians (and) F-1 students seeking to study at a U.S. university where international students constitute 15 percent or less of the total student population, according to the U.S. Department of Education.' The new vetting, the cable states, is being implemented to ensure 'that aliens seeking admission to the United States are screened and vetted to the maximum extent possible and that they will respect the terms of their admission to the United States.' It notes that such vetting is particularly important for these applicants, noting that 'the FBI has long warned that foreign powers seek access to American higher education institutions to, among other things, steal technical information, exploit U.S. research and development, and spread false information for political or other reasons.' 'During the vetting, you simply are looking for any potentially derogatory information about the applicant,' the cable instructs consular officers, and says they should screenshot relevant online findings. Even if the 'inconsistencies or potentially derogatory information' does not rise to the level of ineligibility for a visa, 'you must consider whether they undermine the applicant's credibility or suggest that the applicant will not respect the terms of his admission to the United States.' 'For applicants who demonstrate a history of political activism, especially when it is associated with violence or with the views and activities described above, you must consider the likelihood they would continue such activity in the United States and, if so, whether such activity is consistent with the nonimmigrant visa classification they seek,' the cable notes. 'As Secretary Rubio has said, we do not seek to import activists who will disrupt and undermine scholarly activity at US universities.' — CNN
The Print
22-04-2025
- The Print
Full metal jacket vs banned hollow-point bone tail—the bullet battle behind CRPF's fresh trials
This decision follows allegations from Bengaluru-based SSS Defence, which claimed it was unjustly disqualified despite adhering to the established guidelines, while competitors PLR Systems (a joint venture between Adani Group and Israel Weapon Industries) and ICOMM (a MEIL group company in partnership with CARACAL from the UAE), allegedly employed banned hollow-point bone tail (HPBT) ammunition to secure a competitive advantage, as reported by ThePrint. The Delhi High Court has ordered fresh field trials for the procurement of 200 sniper rifles and 20,000 rounds of ammunition. New Delhi: Hollow-point bone tail versus full metal jacket, this was the crux of the controversy surrounding the Central Reserve Police Force's (CRPF) bid to procure sniper rifles for itself. Examining the behaviour of these two types of ammunition reveals the significance of the issue at hand. Full metal jacket ammunition vs hollow-point FMJ bullets consist of a lead core that is encased in a durable metal shell. This design ensures that structural integrity is preserved upon impact, enabling it to pass through targets with precision. The outcome is characterised by deeper, narrower wound channels, along with a relatively controlled lethality that aligns with the demands of battlefield applications. In contrast, HPBT rounds are engineered to expand upon impact. The design of the bullet's tip features a cavity that leads to mushrooming and fragmentation upon impact with tissue. This mechanism enhances energy transfer to the target, resulting in increased internal damage. These factors also contribute to their stability in flight and overall effectiveness, making them suitable for handgun target practices and shooting competitions. Nevertheless, its application through high-velocity rifles raises significant ethical and tactical concerns, as the potential for excessive or unpredictable damage becomes a critical issue. The ban on HPBT ammunition in India The Hague Declaration of 1899 instituted a ban on the deployment of any projectile that expands or flattens readily upon impact with human tissue in the context of armed conflict. Almost all signatories, India included, prohibit the use of hollow-point ammunition in warfare, deeming it excessively inhumane. Domestically, this legal principle is reinforced by procurement norms, which restrict the use of hollow-point rounds for both the military and civilian markets. The Armed Forces rely on FMJ ammunition for all standard-issue rifles, including the INSAS and AK-47 / AK-203 family, as well as other sniper platforms. Special forces units like the National Security Guard (NSG), Marine Commandos (MARCOS) and Para Special Forces (Para SF) may in rare cases obtain HPBT rounds for specific counter-terror operations. However, this remains the exception, not the rule and is subject to stringent oversight. Consequently, the two companies that used HPBT ammunition in field trials for a general CRPF tender appear to contradict both the letter and spirit of existing regulations. (Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri) Also read: CRPF takes note of Rs 10 cr hawala allegations, corruption claims against its top officer
