Latest news with #pro-Palestine
Middle East Eye
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Trump resumes visa applications for international students, but with increased vetting
The State Department announced on Wednesday that it is ending the pause on visa applications for foreign students. However, the process, which has been suspended since May, will include intensive online vetting, including requiring applicants to set all of their social media privacy settings to 'public'. The State Department said it needed to 'ensure that those applying for admission into the United States do not intend to harm Americans and our national interests'. The announcement also asserted that applicants needed to prove that they would 'engage in activities consistent with the terms for their admission', which is being seen as an attempt to deter students from participating in pro-Palestine activism on university campuses in the US. On 25 March, the Trump administration arrested Tufts graduate Rumeysa Ozturk after her profile was posted on a pro-Israel doxxing website. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Ozturk had been targeted for writing an opinion article in a student newspaper the year before, criticising Tufts University's response to a pro-divestment vote from the student senate. Ozturk was released from detention in May, but her detention set a precedent for a larger crackdown by the Trump administration on foreign students. In April, the visas of thousands of international students were revoked seemingly indiscriminately. Several students went into hiding or self-deported over fears that they would be arrested. The Trump administration abruptly backtracked on the decision to revoke visas weeks later. Wednesday's move to review the social media accounts of foreign students is also not the first time the Trump administration has used social media vetting to monitor international students. On 9 April, the Trump administration announced that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) would be screening the social media accounts of international students at universities affiliated with 'antisemitic activity'. The State Department also reportedly told consulates to prioritise applicants hoping to attend a college where less than 15 percent of the student body were international students. On 28 May, US President Donald Trump asserted that Harvard University should cap international enrollment at 15 percent. Chinese international students Chinese international students have come under particular scrutiny from the Trump administration in recent months. The 270,000 Chinese international students studying in the US make up around a quarter of the 1.1 million international students in the country. On 28 May, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the DHS would be working closely with the State Department to 'aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students'. Rubio's statement singled out students 'with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields'. It reflects accusations from the Trump administration that Chinese international students pose a national security risk. On 11 June, Trump backtracked on the plan to revoke visas for Chinese students. He posted that the presence of Chinese international students 'has always been good with me'.
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Yahoo
Man ordered to pay £140,000 after crypto fraud
A man from Wiltshire has been ordered to pay back more than £140,000 after committing "international cryptocurrency fraud". James Heppel, 44, from Staverton in Wiltshire, was handed the confiscation order at Bristol Crown Court on June 6 following an investigation by the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit. He now has three months to pay the order or face an additional 18 months in jail. Heppel was convicted of three counts of conspiracy to commit fraud in May last year alongside Jake Lee, from Bath, who was handed a four-year sentence and a confiscation order for nearly £1million. Recommended reading Thousands of former Wilko staff to receive compensation after collapse Stalker left ex partner and her young children in fear for their safety Latest pro-Palestine march in Swindon prompts heated debate The pair carried out the fraud by spoofing the domain of online cryptocurrency exchange to access victims' Bitcoin wallets, stealing their funds and login details. During this time, "55 victims in 26 countries were identified, with total losses of £5.7 million worth of cryptocurrency". DS Matt Brain from SWROCU's Regional Cyber Crime Unit said: 'This additional money will add to the compensation received by the victims we identified in the case, including 11 in the UK. 'We have a team of financial investigators who work closely with the CPS to evidence how much money criminals like Heppel and Lee have made through crime, and to ensure the maximum amount possible is taken off them to pay that back. 'Our investigation started back in 2018 after colleagues at Avon and Somerset Police arrested Lee on suspicion of money laundering. As well as £24k cash, officers from the force seized digital devices and three laminated Bitcoin wallet recovery seeds." Heidi Leaney, Legal Manager for the CPS' Proceeds of Crime Division, said: "James Heppel was involved in a sophisticated cryptocurrency fraud which caused devastating financial and emotional harm to victims across the globe. 'We worked closely with financial investigators in SWROCU to identify his available assets and secure this £140,000 Confiscation Order, which will go some way towards compensating victims. "The CPS will always use the powers available to ensure crime does not pay, depriving criminals of their ill-gotten gains and ensuring where we can that monies are repaid to the victim.' In May 2024, the two men were jailed and cash totalling £835k, which includes a suitcase containing £551k cash voluntarily handed over by Lee in January, as well as £64k worth of cryptocurrency, a Banksy print worth £60k and three vehicles, have all been restrained.
Mint
a day ago
- Business
- Mint
Ashoka University opens special window for students reluctant to go to the US
MUMBAI : Ashoka University has opened a 'special admission" round for students who secured admissions in the US-based colleges but are reluctant to move to the US amid the Trump administration's crackdown on campus protests. Analysts expect other private universities to follow suit as the Haryana-based private university claims to have received 'significant interest" from this group of students. 'This announcement has generated significant interest among students who had initially planned to study in the US, reflecting growing interest in high-quality education options within India," the university told Mint. Also Read: Study abroad: From class 9 to Harvard and Yale—how Indian teens are preparing for the Ivy League The announcement comes at a time when many Indian parents are concerned that political clashes and US education visa curbs will impact the future of their children. 'This will be followed by other private universities that have a global standing and want to be seen as an alternative option to a foreign degree," said Narayanan Ramaswamy, partner and leader for education and skill development practice at consulting firm KPMG. No longer the go-to country This may lead to other countries gaining popularity as well. The number of Indian students studying in the US in the 2023-24 academic year hit an all-time high of 331,602, rising 23% on-year, showed data provided by Open Doors, a portal for international students. However, the second Donald Trump administration has come down heavily on Ivy League universities, especially Harvard University, following a series of pro-Palestine protests throughout 2024. Also Read: Uncertainty for Indian students as Harvard loses right to enrol foreigners, sues US government The Trump administration asked Harvard to share information on foreign student misconduct, including its reported collaboration with the Communist Party of China (CPC)-affiliated entities, alleged failure to act against antisemitism, campus violence, and ties to foreign adversaries. When the university refused to comply, the US Department of Homeland Security revoked its certification to host international students for the 2025-26 academic year. The US government website states that the student and exchange visitor programme (SEVP) collects, maintains, analyses and provides information so that only legitimate foreign students or exchange visitors gain entry to the country. The battle is now in the courts. Ashoka University, whose founders include Sanjeev Bikhchandani, founder of job site R.K. Damani, founder of DMart; and Ashok Trivedi, co-founder of IGate, opened a special admissions window on Thursday for students who have received confirmed offers from universities in the US but are now seeking admission to the college's undergraduate programmes starting this August. Also Read: Columbia missed the bus of academic freedom that Harvard took 'To be considered, applicants must submit their confirmed offer from a US institution along with the original college application form submitted to that university," said the university.
Edinburgh Reporter
2 days ago
- Politics
- Edinburgh Reporter
Pro-Palestine protest given go-ahead by councillors despite safety concerns
A pro-Palestine protest in Edinburgh has been given the go-ahead by councillors after concerns were raised over safety. The city's public safety department had objected to the Support Palestine rally at a licensing meeting on Monday, with a decision on next steps pushed back to Tuesday. An outright ban was all but ruled out on Monday, when a Police Scotland officer said the demonstration was not likely to place an 'excessive burden' on the agency. Conservative councillor and Licensing Sub-Committee convener Joanna Mowat said: 'We consider parades and marches from the point of view of public safety, we have very limited powers to even change routes, and to ban them. 'We exercised due scrutiny, given the concerns raised by public safety and the police, but we were grateful that the applicants arranged to attend so that we could speak with them. 'The threshold for making alterations to the route were not met. So we have made an order that the march will go ahead. 'We were pleased that the march organisers have committed to work with officers and the police through the EPOG process to ensure that this is a safe and well stewarded event.' EPOG refers to an Event Planning Operations Group meeting, where council officers and event organisers meet to coordinate events. Cllr Mowat continued to say that the event organisers had run over 80 marches in the capital, with only two that caused concerns. And she said that this was due to factors not entirely within their control. She added: 'They showed that they've made a commitment to work positively with the police and council officers and so committee, we were happy to make the order.' At Tuesday's licensing meeting, the organisers of the rally verbally committed to having a management plan in place for any bicycles that join the procession. Attendees on bicycles joining a previous event without the knowledge of the event organisers was an issue at a previous demonstration, according to Cllr Mowat. At the meeting on Monday, a council public safety officer objected to the planned demonstration, saying that two previous demonstrations run by the organisers had led to safety concerns. According to the officer, this was due to severe congestion at a city junction during one march, and another event where protesters entered the tram route. And a police representative said emergency powers had to be used to clear the junction the public safety officer mentioned. Local authorities very rarely ban marches outright. Instead, councils can add conditions that they must follow. The grounds for banning a procession are narrow. For a council to decide to do so, a march must meet one of a handful of requirements. One reason for a ban is placing 'excessive burden' on policing resources, while another is if the 'likely effect' of holding the procession has an impact on public safety, public order, the 'life of the community' or is likely to cause property damage. The third is if the organiser of a demonstration had previously organised an event that caused disruption or which breached conditions or a banning order placed on it. By Joseph Sullivan Local Democracy Reporter Like this: Like Related
Metro
2 days ago
- Politics
- Metro
Readers say protesters weren't backing a regime - they were backing it's people
Do you agree with our readers? Have your say on these MetroTalk topics and more in the comments. D Frencel (MetroTalk, Wed) says pro-Palestine demonstrators chanting 'Stop bombing Iran' 'effectively showed support for the Iranian regime'. Effectively, they did not – they showed support for innocent Iranian citizens who are being bombed. What a huge leap to make. Anna, London D Frencel wrongly criticises 'the radical Left' for ideological inconsistency because pro-Palestine protesters called for an end to Israel bombing Iran, when Iran had broken Treaty of Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons obligations. Neither Palestine nor Iran are Right vs Left issues. But there's no inconsistency in any case. The common thread is opposition to bombing as a means of solving international problems. It's worth noting that US spy chief, director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, told Congress in March that Iran was not building a nuclear arsenal. And among the first targets of the bombing was Iranian government adviser Ali Shamkhani, who was a leader of peaceful negotiations on the nuclear issue. The irony is that the bombing is being done by Israel – itself a country that is widely thought to have created nuclear weapons which would put them in breach of the same treaty, had they signed up to it. And yet D Frencel isn't suggesting bombing Israel. Dan Johnston, Leeds To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Its amazing to see the way the Right will tangle themselves up to create an argument, while showing how little they understand what they are whining about. Take D Frencel's comments about the 'inconsistency' and 'contradiction' of the Left, for their calls to stop the bombing of Iran that's taking place because a regime within Iran has been found to be in violation of meeting nuclear obligations. Funny how quickly this has become another scapegoat to ignore Israel's needless bloodshed – much like their mission of genocide against Palestine, which many people still excuse on the grounds a terrorist group is hiding within the country. It's yet another example of how the Right is desperate to shift any story in their favour, in spite of how often it shows they have ignored the bigger picture because they are upset by the notion of people caring for the well-being of innocents caught in the crossfire of tyrants. Matthew, Birmingham Brendan O'Brian (MetroTalk, Tue) questions how truthful it is to talk of Iran's 'imminent threat' to Israel. Iran's leaders' threats to wipe Israel off the face of the earth have been widely and proudly announced for decades, reported across the mass media. But Brendan can rest assured that Israel will go on sacrificing and risking the lives of its citizens and military – men, women and children – as it takes the hits, so that people like him can sleep safely at night and around the world. Be assured, too, that Iran's ballistic missiles can reach London. Sir Keir Starmer and all the world leaders and their intelligence agencies know the truth and hence there will be, I am sure, much private rejoicing in cutting down Iran's nuclear bomb preparations by the brave Israeli Air Force. Martin Sugarman, via email Andy from Edinburgh (MetroTalk, Tue) ridicules the UN as 'the most pathetic group of do-gooders' who only come up with the 'usual guff – let's talk, let's negotiate, blah, blah, blah' in the face of global conflict. How does he suggest international diplomacy should be conducted? Perhaps Israel and Palestine could settle their differences over paintball? Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin just need to have a beer, maybe? I'm sure we'd all have a good laugh over Andy's attempts to resolve the humanitarian catastrophe in Sudan. There hasn't been a world war for 80 years and the UN is a part – not all, a part – of why that has been. If Andy wants to be taken seriously, he should do some reading.- J Wilson, Warminster Here's a novel idea. Unlike Andrew from Halesowen (MetroTalk, Wed), who doesn't trust Labour over the grooming gangs scandal, let's try to think about the victims rather than political squabbling. It's obvious there was fault and laxity on both sides of the political divide. Simon, Luton Colin (MetroTalk, Tue) asks for examples of minority rules. It's boiling hot in our windowless packing room, the top dogs upstairs gave us an electric fan but our stupid young line manager stopped us using it as 'it blows the oxygen out of the room' and the top dogs let him win as he's more important. Trotter, Birmingham To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Regarding the Surrey mum given an Asbo after neighbours complained about her parking a double-decker bus, which she planned to convert to a cafe, on her driveway (Metro, Wed). They said it was 'ruining the ambience' of the cul-de-sac. I don't know of any law preventing someone from parking a privately owned bus outside their house. If it's on the road, it must have tax, MOT and insurance but if it's on private land all it needs is a SORN notification. More Trending I have a classic car on my drive that's tatty but it's on my land and with a SORN notification. Plenty of people have cars on their drives in the most various of conditions and many are 'restoration projects'. Admittedly some projects take longer than others as all too often life takes a leading hand. This lady is being treated unjustly by her snobby neighbours. Geoff Hall, Croydon MORE: The Metro daily cartoon by Guy Venables MORE: The Metro daily cartoon by Guy Venables MORE: British man shot dead in Mexico was 'in the wrong place at wrong time'
