Latest news with #Rubio
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
U.S. student visa interviews resume worldwide: What the new Social Media rule means
The United States has resumed student visa interviews with a significant change: applicants must now make their social media profiles public. Consular officers will review platforms used over the past five years to assess online behavior, looking for anti-American sentiment or extremist views. This new policy aims to enhance national security by thoroughly scrutinizing applicants' digital footprints. Good news for students! The United States has resumed processing student visa interviews across the globe after a temporary pause. However, there has been a significant new change which applicants must know. Starting now, those wishing to apply for a student visa will have to make their social media profiles public. Yes, you read that right! The new policy was implemented by the U.S. State Department. The main aim of this new change is to increase national security by reviewing the online presence of visa applicants more thoroughly. More about the Social Media Rule As per new rule, the consular officers will have to check all social media platforms used by student visa applicants over the past five years. These include F-1 academic visas, M-1 vocational visas, and J-1 exchange visitor visas. If someone attempts to delete, hide or restrict access to social media content may raise red flags during the visa review process. This new change follows an internal State Department directive. The social media will help scrutinise the online behavior of the applicant. It could indicate anti-American sentiment, extremist beliefs, or support for violence. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Free P2,000 GCash eGift UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo Not only this, even deleted or edited content may be captured in screenshots for further evaluation. As per the guidance, all social media handles, including the ones which are no longer in use, will have to be mentioned. As per a cable from the State Department, American citizens expect their government to increase national security, especially when it comes to the visa system. 'Secretary Rubio is helping to make America and its universities safer while bringing the State Department into the 21st century,' the message said. Though visa interviews have now resumed with consular officers spending significant time reviewing applicant's digital histories. So now students applying for a U.S. visa, it's important to maintain complete transparency by mentioning every social media account they have used so far. Make sure content is viewable. Don't delete if you are planning to apply. With digital behavior now playing a central role in U.S. visa decisions, what students post on their social media platforms could play a significant role in their academic future. One step to a healthier you—join Times Health+ Yoga and feel the change
The Advertiser
8 hours ago
- Politics
- The Advertiser
Europeans in talks with Iran as Rubio calls around
As European diplomats seek to de-escalate the Israel/Iran conflict, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been discussing the situation with other countries. Rubio met British foreign minister David Lammy on Thursday and held separate calls with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani to discuss the conflict. The US State Department said Rubio and the foreign ministers agreed that "Iran can never develop or acquire a nuclear weapon." Lammy said the same on X while adding that the situation in the Middle East "remained perilous" and a "window now exists within the next two weeks to achieve a diplomatic solution." US President Donald Trump says he will decide in the next two weeks whether the US will get involved in the war, the White House said. The foreign ministers of Britain, France, Germany and the European Union were due to meet Iran's foreign minister in Geneva on Friday to try to create a pathway back to diplomacy. The ministers from the countries, known as the E3, spoke to Abbas Araqchi earlier this week. In a rare call they pressed upon Araqchi the need to return to the negotiating table and avoid further escalation. At Iran's suggestion the two sides agreed to meet face-to-face. Negotiations between Iran and the United States collapsed when Israel launched what it called Operation Rising Lion against Iran's nuclear facilities and ballistic capabilities on June 12. "The Iranians can't sit down with the Americans whereas we can," said a European diplomat. "We will tell them to come back to the table to discuss the nuclear issue before the worst case scenario, while raising our concerns over its ballistic missiles, support to Russia and detention of our citizens." The European powers, who were not part of Iran's nuclear negotiations with the United States, had grown increasingly frustrated by the US strategy in the talks. They deemed some of the demands unrealistic, while fearing the possibility of a weak initial political framework that would lead to open-ended negotiations. Diplomats said it was vital to engage with Iran because once the war stopped, Iran's nuclear program would still remain unresolved given that it would be impossible to eradicate the know-how acquired, leaving it potentially able to clandestinely rebuild its program. An Iranian official urged the E3 to use all available means to pressure Israel to halt its attacks on Iran. "Iran remains committed to diplomacy as the only path to resolving disputes — but diplomacy is under attack," the official said. Prior to Israel's strikes the E3 and US put forward a resolution that was approved by the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency, a UN watchdog, which declared Iran in breach of its nuclear non-proliferation obligations. As part of last week's IAEA resolution, European officials had said they could refer Iran to the United Nations Security Council later in the summer to add pressure on Iran if there was no progress in the nuclear talks. As European diplomats seek to de-escalate the Israel/Iran conflict, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been discussing the situation with other countries. Rubio met British foreign minister David Lammy on Thursday and held separate calls with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani to discuss the conflict. The US State Department said Rubio and the foreign ministers agreed that "Iran can never develop or acquire a nuclear weapon." Lammy said the same on X while adding that the situation in the Middle East "remained perilous" and a "window now exists within the next two weeks to achieve a diplomatic solution." US President Donald Trump says he will decide in the next two weeks whether the US will get involved in the war, the White House said. The foreign ministers of Britain, France, Germany and the European Union were due to meet Iran's foreign minister in Geneva on Friday to try to create a pathway back to diplomacy. The ministers from the countries, known as the E3, spoke to Abbas Araqchi earlier this week. In a rare call they pressed upon Araqchi the need to return to the negotiating table and avoid further escalation. At Iran's suggestion the two sides agreed to meet face-to-face. Negotiations between Iran and the United States collapsed when Israel launched what it called Operation Rising Lion against Iran's nuclear facilities and ballistic capabilities on June 12. "The Iranians can't sit down with the Americans whereas we can," said a European diplomat. "We will tell them to come back to the table to discuss the nuclear issue before the worst case scenario, while raising our concerns over its ballistic missiles, support to Russia and detention of our citizens." The European powers, who were not part of Iran's nuclear negotiations with the United States, had grown increasingly frustrated by the US strategy in the talks. They deemed some of the demands unrealistic, while fearing the possibility of a weak initial political framework that would lead to open-ended negotiations. Diplomats said it was vital to engage with Iran because once the war stopped, Iran's nuclear program would still remain unresolved given that it would be impossible to eradicate the know-how acquired, leaving it potentially able to clandestinely rebuild its program. An Iranian official urged the E3 to use all available means to pressure Israel to halt its attacks on Iran. "Iran remains committed to diplomacy as the only path to resolving disputes — but diplomacy is under attack," the official said. Prior to Israel's strikes the E3 and US put forward a resolution that was approved by the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency, a UN watchdog, which declared Iran in breach of its nuclear non-proliferation obligations. As part of last week's IAEA resolution, European officials had said they could refer Iran to the United Nations Security Council later in the summer to add pressure on Iran if there was no progress in the nuclear talks. As European diplomats seek to de-escalate the Israel/Iran conflict, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been discussing the situation with other countries. Rubio met British foreign minister David Lammy on Thursday and held separate calls with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani to discuss the conflict. The US State Department said Rubio and the foreign ministers agreed that "Iran can never develop or acquire a nuclear weapon." Lammy said the same on X while adding that the situation in the Middle East "remained perilous" and a "window now exists within the next two weeks to achieve a diplomatic solution." US President Donald Trump says he will decide in the next two weeks whether the US will get involved in the war, the White House said. The foreign ministers of Britain, France, Germany and the European Union were due to meet Iran's foreign minister in Geneva on Friday to try to create a pathway back to diplomacy. The ministers from the countries, known as the E3, spoke to Abbas Araqchi earlier this week. In a rare call they pressed upon Araqchi the need to return to the negotiating table and avoid further escalation. At Iran's suggestion the two sides agreed to meet face-to-face. Negotiations between Iran and the United States collapsed when Israel launched what it called Operation Rising Lion against Iran's nuclear facilities and ballistic capabilities on June 12. "The Iranians can't sit down with the Americans whereas we can," said a European diplomat. "We will tell them to come back to the table to discuss the nuclear issue before the worst case scenario, while raising our concerns over its ballistic missiles, support to Russia and detention of our citizens." The European powers, who were not part of Iran's nuclear negotiations with the United States, had grown increasingly frustrated by the US strategy in the talks. They deemed some of the demands unrealistic, while fearing the possibility of a weak initial political framework that would lead to open-ended negotiations. Diplomats said it was vital to engage with Iran because once the war stopped, Iran's nuclear program would still remain unresolved given that it would be impossible to eradicate the know-how acquired, leaving it potentially able to clandestinely rebuild its program. An Iranian official urged the E3 to use all available means to pressure Israel to halt its attacks on Iran. "Iran remains committed to diplomacy as the only path to resolving disputes — but diplomacy is under attack," the official said. Prior to Israel's strikes the E3 and US put forward a resolution that was approved by the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency, a UN watchdog, which declared Iran in breach of its nuclear non-proliferation obligations. As part of last week's IAEA resolution, European officials had said they could refer Iran to the United Nations Security Council later in the summer to add pressure on Iran if there was no progress in the nuclear talks. As European diplomats seek to de-escalate the Israel/Iran conflict, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been discussing the situation with other countries. Rubio met British foreign minister David Lammy on Thursday and held separate calls with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani to discuss the conflict. The US State Department said Rubio and the foreign ministers agreed that "Iran can never develop or acquire a nuclear weapon." Lammy said the same on X while adding that the situation in the Middle East "remained perilous" and a "window now exists within the next two weeks to achieve a diplomatic solution." US President Donald Trump says he will decide in the next two weeks whether the US will get involved in the war, the White House said. The foreign ministers of Britain, France, Germany and the European Union were due to meet Iran's foreign minister in Geneva on Friday to try to create a pathway back to diplomacy. The ministers from the countries, known as the E3, spoke to Abbas Araqchi earlier this week. In a rare call they pressed upon Araqchi the need to return to the negotiating table and avoid further escalation. At Iran's suggestion the two sides agreed to meet face-to-face. Negotiations between Iran and the United States collapsed when Israel launched what it called Operation Rising Lion against Iran's nuclear facilities and ballistic capabilities on June 12. "The Iranians can't sit down with the Americans whereas we can," said a European diplomat. "We will tell them to come back to the table to discuss the nuclear issue before the worst case scenario, while raising our concerns over its ballistic missiles, support to Russia and detention of our citizens." The European powers, who were not part of Iran's nuclear negotiations with the United States, had grown increasingly frustrated by the US strategy in the talks. They deemed some of the demands unrealistic, while fearing the possibility of a weak initial political framework that would lead to open-ended negotiations. Diplomats said it was vital to engage with Iran because once the war stopped, Iran's nuclear program would still remain unresolved given that it would be impossible to eradicate the know-how acquired, leaving it potentially able to clandestinely rebuild its program. An Iranian official urged the E3 to use all available means to pressure Israel to halt its attacks on Iran. "Iran remains committed to diplomacy as the only path to resolving disputes — but diplomacy is under attack," the official said. Prior to Israel's strikes the E3 and US put forward a resolution that was approved by the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency, a UN watchdog, which declared Iran in breach of its nuclear non-proliferation obligations. As part of last week's IAEA resolution, European officials had said they could refer Iran to the United Nations Security Council later in the summer to add pressure on Iran if there was no progress in the nuclear talks.
West Australian
8 hours ago
- Politics
- West Australian
Europeans in talks with Iran as Rubio calls around
As European diplomats seek to de-escalate the Israel/Iran conflict, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been discussing the situation with other countries. Rubio met British foreign minister David Lammy on Thursday and held separate calls with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani to discuss the conflict. The US State Department said Rubio and the foreign ministers agreed that "Iran can never develop or acquire a nuclear weapon." Lammy said the same on X while adding that the situation in the Middle East "remained perilous" and a "window now exists within the next two weeks to achieve a diplomatic solution." US President Donald Trump says he will decide in the next two weeks whether the US will get involved in the war, the White House said. The foreign ministers of Britain, France, Germany and the European Union were due to meet Iran's foreign minister in Geneva on Friday to try to create a pathway back to diplomacy. The ministers from the countries, known as the E3, spoke to Abbas Araqchi earlier this week. In a rare call they pressed upon Araqchi the need to return to the negotiating table and avoid further escalation. At Iran's suggestion the two sides agreed to meet face-to-face. Negotiations between Iran and the United States collapsed when Israel launched what it called Operation Rising Lion against Iran's nuclear facilities and ballistic capabilities on June 12. "The Iranians can't sit down with the Americans whereas we can," said a European diplomat. "We will tell them to come back to the table to discuss the nuclear issue before the worst case scenario, while raising our concerns over its ballistic missiles, support to Russia and detention of our citizens." The European powers, who were not part of Iran's nuclear negotiations with the United States, had grown increasingly frustrated by the US strategy in the talks. They deemed some of the demands unrealistic, while fearing the possibility of a weak initial political framework that would lead to open-ended negotiations. Diplomats said it was vital to engage with Iran because once the war stopped, Iran's nuclear program would still remain unresolved given that it would be impossible to eradicate the know-how acquired, leaving it potentially able to clandestinely rebuild its program. An Iranian official urged the E3 to use all available means to pressure Israel to halt its attacks on Iran. "Iran remains committed to diplomacy as the only path to resolving disputes — but diplomacy is under attack," the official said. Prior to Israel's strikes the E3 and US put forward a resolution that was approved by the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency, a UN watchdog, which declared Iran in breach of its nuclear non-proliferation obligations. As part of last week's IAEA resolution, European officials had said they could refer Iran to the United Nations Security Council later in the summer to add pressure on Iran if there was no progress in the nuclear talks.
Perth Now
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Perth Now
Europeans in talks with Iran as Rubio calls around
As European diplomats seek to de-escalate the Israel/Iran conflict, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been discussing the situation with other countries. Rubio met British foreign minister David Lammy on Thursday and held separate calls with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani to discuss the conflict. The US State Department said Rubio and the foreign ministers agreed that "Iran can never develop or acquire a nuclear weapon." Lammy said the same on X while adding that the situation in the Middle East "remained perilous" and a "window now exists within the next two weeks to achieve a diplomatic solution." US President Donald Trump says he will decide in the next two weeks whether the US will get involved in the war, the White House said. The foreign ministers of Britain, France, Germany and the European Union were due to meet Iran's foreign minister in Geneva on Friday to try to create a pathway back to diplomacy. The ministers from the countries, known as the E3, spoke to Abbas Araqchi earlier this week. In a rare call they pressed upon Araqchi the need to return to the negotiating table and avoid further escalation. At Iran's suggestion the two sides agreed to meet face-to-face. Negotiations between Iran and the United States collapsed when Israel launched what it called Operation Rising Lion against Iran's nuclear facilities and ballistic capabilities on June 12. "The Iranians can't sit down with the Americans whereas we can," said a European diplomat. "We will tell them to come back to the table to discuss the nuclear issue before the worst case scenario, while raising our concerns over its ballistic missiles, support to Russia and detention of our citizens." The European powers, who were not part of Iran's nuclear negotiations with the United States, had grown increasingly frustrated by the US strategy in the talks. They deemed some of the demands unrealistic, while fearing the possibility of a weak initial political framework that would lead to open-ended negotiations. Diplomats said it was vital to engage with Iran because once the war stopped, Iran's nuclear program would still remain unresolved given that it would be impossible to eradicate the know-how acquired, leaving it potentially able to clandestinely rebuild its program. An Iranian official urged the E3 to use all available means to pressure Israel to halt its attacks on Iran. "Iran remains committed to diplomacy as the only path to resolving disputes — but diplomacy is under attack," the official said. Prior to Israel's strikes the E3 and US put forward a resolution that was approved by the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency, a UN watchdog, which declared Iran in breach of its nuclear non-proliferation obligations. As part of last week's IAEA resolution, European officials had said they could refer Iran to the United Nations Security Council later in the summer to add pressure on Iran if there was no progress in the nuclear talks.
AsiaOne
9 hours ago
- Politics
- AsiaOne
UK's Lammy to meet European counterparts in Geneva to hold nuclear talks with Iran, World News
LONDON — British foreign minister David Lammy will head to Geneva on Friday (June 20) for nuclear talks with Iran and European counterparts, racing to press for a diplomatic solution over Tehran's nuclear programme, his office said on Thursday. Israel and Iran have been in a spiralling air war since last week after Israel launched military strikes on Iran, which retaliated with waves of missiles. Lammy's trip to Switzerland follows his visit to Washington, where he on Thursday met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff. "We are determined that Iran must never have a nuclear weapon... A window now exists within the next two weeks to achieve a diplomatic solution," Lammy said in a statement. "Now is the time to put a stop to the grave scenes in the Middle East and prevent a regional escalation that would benefit no one." The foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany — known as the E3 — will meet with the European Union's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, at Germany's permanent mission in Geneva before holding a joint meeting with the Iranian foreign minister, a German source previously told Reuters. Rubio discussed with Lammy the conflict between Israel and Iran, the pair agreeing that the Islamic Republic can "never develop or acquire a nuclear weapon," a spokesperson for Rubio said in a statement. Israel has said its goal is to eliminate Tehran's ability to develop a nuclear weapon. Iran denies that its nuclear programme is for military purposes. The White House said earlier on Thursday that US President Donald Trump will make a decision within the next two weeks whether to get involved on Israel's side. [[nid:719288]]
