China, Iran exploited jurisdictional chaos for drone activities? Luna drops bombshell at UFO hearing
Subcommittee on Military and Foreign Affairs Chairman William Timmons (R-S.C.) delivered opening remarks at 'Securing the Skies: Addressing Unauthorized Drone Activity Over Military Installations.' In his opening statement, Chairman Timmons brought to attention hostile adversaries' many coordinated attempts to use unauthorized drones to collect intelligence and surveil sensitive U.S. military equipment. He called out the Biden Administration's lack of leadership and mitigation of the issue and praised President Trump for taking action to protect military installations from exposure. Chairman Timmons concluded that full accountability, expedited technological upgrades, and enhanced oversight are needed to further reform military readiness and protect U.S. sovereignty.
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News18
2 days ago
- News18
Why Trump Government Has Paused New Student Visa Interviews, What Is Social Media Vetting? Explained
Last Updated: If foreign students turn away, US higher education could be impacted. Universities like Harvard would be more concerned about the impact on their ability to attract top talent Student visa applicants have been dealt with a blow after US embassies decided to cancel interviews as Donald Trump's administration prepares a new process that includes social media profile screening. 'Effective immediately, in preparation for an expansion of required social media screening and vetting, consular sections should not add any additional student or exchange visitor (F, M, and J) visa appointment capacity until further guidance is issued … in the coming days," a Tuesday diplomatic cable reportedly said, as reported by Politico. As per TIME, State Department spokesperson would not confirm the cable, but said that the 'scheduling of non-immigrant visa interview appointments is dynamic" and that 'every visa adjudication is a national security decision." The spokesperson also noted that students may continue to submit visa applications and that consular sections are constantly adjusting their schedules to allow for sufficient time to fully vet the cases before them. What To Know About The Order? A US official, who did not reveal his name, told the Associated Press (AP) that the pause is 'temporary", and only applies to new visa interviews. Already scheduled visa interviews will go ahead. Trump increased scrutiny of applicants, including social media vetting, during his first term—a policy that continued through the Biden Administration. Earlier this year, the State Department also made changes to social media screening requirements, aimed at students who had participated in pro-Palestinian campus protests last spring. Though the State Department has not mentioned any specific social media criteria for student visa rejection, the cable reportedly referred to Trump's executive orders related to terrorism and anti-semitism. 'If you tell me that you're coming to the United States to lead campus crusades, to take over libraries, and try to burn down buildings … we're not going to give you a visa," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on May 20. What Is Social Media Vetting? Social media vetting involves the collection and analysis of visa applicants' online activity to assess potential security risks. Under policies implemented during the Trump administration, applicants are required to provide social media handles used over the past five years, along with other personal information. This data is used to evaluate applicants' backgrounds and affiliations. The administration asks for your social media handles from the last five years and review public content. For visas, it's part of background checks; for jobs, it's often during hiring. Since 2019, the US State Department has required applicants to disclose their social media handles used in the last five years, with expanded measures in 2025. The move will help detect inconsistencies or fraudulent information in applications. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) established a Social Media Division in 2016 to look for immigration fraud, verifying work, travel, and family histories against online activity. What Does The Typical Social Media Vetting Process Include? Applicants, especially for visas, must provide social media identifiers over the past five years as part of forms like the DS-160 for non-immigrant visas. For employment, employers may ask for written consent to review public profiles. Reviewers analyse public content for red flags, such as posts endorsing terrorism, anti-semitic activity, or unprofessional behaviour. As per the 2025 US State Department cable, reported on May 28, 2025, reported by India Today, reviewing for 'public approval or public advocacy for terrorist activity". Social media vetting must comply with privacy laws, such as the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) in the US, ensuring only public information is reviewed and no passwords are requested. How US Universities Could Be Affected If international students turn away, the impact on US higher education could be severe. Universities like Harvard are likely to be more concerned about the impact on their ability to attract top talent than on their endowments, as per TIME. The vetting process will increase administrative delays. Students may miss enrollment deadlines, defer admissions, or shift to countries with more predictable visa processes (e.g., Canada, the UK, Australia). Students may censor their online speech, impacting the open exchange of ideas that is central to university life. Faculty may also feel constrained when engaging with politically sensitive topics if they fear repercussions for their students. Universities may need to provide additional legal and counselling services to support international applicants navigating the visa process, adding operational costs. First Published:
Indian Express
15-05-2025
- Indian Express
After Pahalgam: Why Pakistan's foreign affairs matters for India's security
Written by Kadira Pethiyagoda The Pahalgam attack and the consequent escalation likely have their roots in the regime-change that took place in Pakistan three years ago. Following the toppling of Prime Minister Imran Khan, the new leadership faced constant unrest and protests by the public. The one 'tried and true' method for gaining legitimacy was a clash with India. Khan himself, and others, alleged that the Biden Administration played a role in his ouster, an incentive being the PM's neutrality over the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Pakistan's military has had links to the US for a long time. All this signals a blind-spot in recent Indian foreign policy: The role of extra-regional powers that are not China, within South Asia. Future Indian governments are likely to face pressure to address this, not simply for immediate stability, but because denying external actors the ability to shape politics in one's region is a prerequisite to becoming a great power. The ousting of the most popular prime minister that Pakistan has ever had resulted in a public outcry. Millions marched demanding free elections, with Khan as one of the candidates. The state resorted to increasingly repressive crackdowns, as public anger reached an unprecedented tipping point. The one thing that could restore legitimacy and rally the people behind the Shehbaz Sharif government was a war with India. Then came April 22. The terrorists who killed 26 people in Pahalgam provided the Pakistani government a lifeline of legitimacy. It was only when the conflict risked spiraling out of control — which could actually harm Sharif's rule — that Islamabad welcomed an off-ramp. What does this mean for India? For many decades, New Delhi applied the Indira doctrine to deny extra-regional powers a foothold in South Asia. Following the end of the Cold War, this approach was tempered with regard to the US. For the last decade, the doctrine was applied with increased vigour against China. This is understandable, given that Beijing has, at least since the end of the Cold War, posed a greater direct threat than Washington. Pahalgam is a reminder, however, of the importance of paying strategic attention to the role of any great powers in India's neighbourhood. According to Khan, the US role in his ouster ranged from supporting the generals in their efforts to instigating the MPs to vote against him in the first place. Applying the cui bono or 'who benefits' principle, it is clear that the Biden administration's interests were served. Three years ago, Imran Khan visited Moscow, defied Western demands and proclaimed that he would continue trading with Russia in the interests of the Pakistani people. Today, he sits in jail while the leadership in Islamabad turns to the US to drive a ceasefire with India — a dramatic turnaround. It was even recently reported that Pakistan has a shortage of artillery ammunition that has reduced its warfighting capabilities to as little as four days, due to having sold arms to Ukraine. Whatever calculations Washington made regarding Imran Khan, New Delhi will likely have learnt by now that it should have urged consultation. And if consultation was offered, the Modi government will realise now that it should have impressed upon Biden that India's interests in regional stability had to be considered, particularly given the Pakistani military's relations with non-state actors. External interference almost always results in instability. Such an intervention by New Delhi would have aligned squarely with India's great power ambitions. Washington has its own version of the Indira doctrine— the Monroe Doctrine, which challenged European intervention in the Americas from the 1800s, providing a stable and secure near-abroad for the US to grow into a great power. States considered 'friendly' did not get a free pass. As George Washington himself warned earlier, 'The nation which indulges toward another a habitual hatred or a habitual fondness is in some degree a slave.' Jawaharlal Nehru echoed this sentiment in the 1940s. Trump does the same today. And, long before all of them, Kautilya said it. The Pahalgam terror attack and subsequent escalation are partly the result of a Pakistani leadership struggling for legitimacy in the eyes of its own people following the overthrowing of Imran Khan's government with a 'foreign hand' factor. In decades past, New Delhi adopted the Indira doctrine to deny extra-regional powers a foothold in South Asia. Today it applies almost exclusively to China. Going forward, however, the 2025 Indo-Pakistan standoff will likely mean pressure on future governments to prevent foreign intrigue in neighbouring countries — regardless of who it involves. This is not least because, in an emerging multipolar world, exclusive regional primacy is necessary for India's enduring foreign policy goal to become a great power. The writer was a Fellow at the Brookings Institution and is author of the book Indian Foreign Policy and Cultural Values
Mint
03-05-2025
- Mint
‘US visa is a privilege, not a right,' Donald Trump administration warns foreign students, threats revocation of visa
The Donald Trump administration has informed that strict action will be taken against non-citizens, especially students who break the laws of the United States, while reminding them that granting a visa is a privilege and not a right. Hence, visas of non-US citizens may be revoked for breaking the laws. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in a statement, wrote, 'There is now a one-strike policy: Catch-And-Revoke. Whenever the government catches non-U.S. citizens breaking our laws, we will take action to revoke their status. The time of contemptuously taking advantage of our nation's generosity ends.' 'The State Department has now made clear that a visa is a privilege, not a right,' he added. The latest statement specifically referred to foreign students, especially the ones allegedly sympathising with Hamas, who attacked Israel, a US ally. 'When Hamas, one of the world's most notorious terrorist organizations, launched its barbaric October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, brutally murdering more than 1,200 innocents, and parading the dead bodies of murdered babies through the streets of Gaza, the Biden Administration did very little to protect our Jewish citizens and the American people at large from foreign terrorist sympathizers in their midst. They allowed campus buildings to be overrun by violent thugs, and Jewish students to be excluded from classrooms,' Rubio wrote. The recent statement comes amid Donald Trump's crackdown on foreign Universities over their alleged support for a pro-Palestinian campus, as well as other issues, including climate initiatives, transgender policies, and diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. Trump recently signed an executive order to ensure transparency of foreign funds in Universities and colleges. The order seeks complete and timely disclosure of foreign funding by higher education institutions. It directs universities to disclose the true source and purpose of foreign funds and warns that certain Federal grant funds could be revoked for failure to comply with foreign funding disclosure requirements. Rubio's statement further criticised the lenient policies of Joe Biden's administration and said, 'Under the Biden Administration's 'Catch and Release' policy, illegal aliens were often provided with a get-out-of-jail-free card after arrests for criminal activity, including domestic violence, and assault.' First Published: 3 May 2025, 02:34 PM IST
