Many international students hope to launch careers in the US. Their pathways may dim under Trump
WASHINGTON (AP) — Since coming from China as a teenager for boarding school, Bob Zeng has imagined building a career in the United States. But as he prepared to graduate Thursday from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, it felt like the last chapter of his life in America.
Zeng said he has been rethinking his plans because of the Trump administration's pledge to aggressively revoke the visas of Chinese students. Having completed a masters degree in science and management, he is thinking about moving to Europe. Or going home to China.
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Winnipeg Free Press
42 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Xu Qiliang, former top Chinese general close to Xi, dies in Beijing
BEIJING (AP) — Xu Qiliang, a former air force general who was reportedly close to Chinese leader Xi Jinping, has died at age 75, according to the Defense MInistry. Xu had been a vice commissioner of the body that overseas the People's Liberation Army, the military branch of China's ruling Communist Party, during Xi's first few years in government. China's ultimate leader was at the time incorporating the army and navy into leadership bodies long dominated by the land forces. Xu was an 'excellent Communist Party of China member, a time-tested and loyal communist soldier, a proletarian military strategist, and an outstanding leader of the People's Liberation Army,' said a statement issued by the ministry. Xu joined the PLA in 1966 just as China was plunged into the violent decade-long Cultural Revolution under Communist China's founder Mao Zedong. After climbing the ranks, Xu wielded considerable influence as a vice chairman of the Central Military Commission without, it appears, falling afoul of China's party anti-corruption forces, who brought down several other high ranking retired and serving military leaders, including two former defense ministers. China has offered no information on the situation involving the pair, stirring rumors of a major shakeup in the ranks concerning corruption or spying for the U.S.. China has not fought a major campaign since the 1950-53 Korean War, so Xu built his career largely on his adherence to the party line and fealty to the leader of the time, who like Xi now, serves as chairman of the Central Military Commission. In a February 2018 report, the official Xinhua News Agency quoted Xu as calling on the Chinese army to 'thoroughly study and implement the spirit of the 19th party National Congress and President Xi Jinping's strategy for strengthening the military.' Xu also helped oversee the PLA's transformation into a modern fighting force, eliminating its Cold War-era jets for stealth fighters and nuclear bombers. Xu also met with foreign delegations, including then-U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis in 2018, with whom he discussed 'the importance of substantive military-to-military contacts to reduce risk and strategic uncertainty.' Relations between the militaries have since nose-dived, along with relations in general.
Winnipeg Free Press
43 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
A surprise drone attack on airfields across Russia encapsulates Ukraine's wartime strategy
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The covert operation was described as one for the 'history books' by Ukraine's president. In the span of a few hours on Sunday, nearly a third of Moscow's strategic bomber fleet was destroyed or damaged with cheaply made drones sneaked into Russian territory, according to Ukrainian officials. The undertaking by Ukraine's Security Service, codenamed 'Spiderweb,' involved more than 18 months of painstaking planning and great risk. It was personally overseen by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. It came to fruition at a time in the 3-year-old war when peace talks have failed to deliver the unconditional ceasefire long-sought by Kyiv, and as Moscow continues to launch record-breaking numbers of drone and missile barrages. The attack on Sunday encapsulates Ukraine's wartime strategy: Outnumbered, outgunned and dependent on Western partners, Ukrainian military planners have sought innovative and cost-effective means to exact Russian losses, often leaning on the element of surprise. Here's what we know about the Ukrainian attack so far: Ukraine says 4 airfields were attacked Zelenskyy said 117 drones were used in the operation in which four military airfields were attacked resulting in the severe damage or destruction of 34% of Russia's fleet of air missile carriers. The complex operation was directed from an office that was next door to an office of the Russian security service, the FSB, Zelenskyy said, without elaborating on where in Russia it was. Executing it involved smuggling in first-person view, or FPV, drones to Russia, where they were placed in wooden containers, which were eventually taken by truck close to the airfields. From there, the drones flew to strike Russia's strategic bombers. Social media footage shared by Russian media on the day of the attack showed drones rising from inside the containers. By the end, over 40 Russian warplanes were severely damaged or destroyed with costs estimated to be around $7 billion, according to Ukraine's security service. Among the most striking targets was Belaya air base in the Siberian region of Irkutsk — over 4,000 kilometers (2,500 miles) away from Ukraine. Russia's Defense Ministry in a statement confirmed the attacks, saying they damaged aircraft and sparked fires on air bases in the Irkutsk region, as well as the Murmansk region in the north. It said strikes were also repelled in the Amur region in Russia's Far East and in the western regions of Ivanovo and Ryazan, the ministry said. There was no way to independently verify the claims from either side. The attack targeted bombers used to strike Ukraine Strategic aircraft, including the A-50, Tu-95 and Tu-22M, were destroyed in the attack, according to the SBU. Moscow has previously used Tu-95 and Tu-22M long-range bombers to launch missiles at Ukraine, while A-50s are used to coordinate targets and detect air defenses and guided missiles. Ukraine has long hoped to degrade Russia's ability to deploy bombers that launch deadly missile barrages against Ukrainian cities, against which Kyiv has limited means to respond. The loss of the planes could reduce Russia's ability to deliver devastating missile barrages against Ukraine. The attack comes right as Moscow has unleashed a record-breaking number of drones and missiles against Ukraine to degrade domestic weapons production capabilities, shatter morale and consume Kyiv's limited quantities of air defense missiles. Often these attacks have also struck civilians. The attack gives Ukraine a morale boost The attack also gives Ukraine a morale boost at a time when peace talks have sputtered and could undermine Russian confidence that it can win the war with ease. It was launched a day before a round of direct peace talks took place in Istanbul on Monday. It also occurred on the same day as Russia launched a record number of 472 drones against Ukraine in yet another barrage. 'The enemy thought it could bomb Ukraine and kill Ukrainians with impunity and without end. But that is not the case. We will respond to Russian terror and destroy the enemy everywhere — at sea, in the air, and on land,' said the head of the SBU, Vasyl Maliuk, on Monday. 'And if necessary, we'll get them from underground too,' he added. The attack is the latest to use the element of surprise Despite suffering setbacks and shortcomings on the battlefield, throughout the war Kyiv has sought to focus on Russia's rear to cripple and neutralize combat capabilities. Sunday's operation is perhaps the most brazen in a series mounted by Ukraine. In April 2022, Ukraine sank the Moskva, the flagship of Russia's Black Sea Fleet, after striking it with two Ukrainian Neptune anti-ship missiles. The sinking marked a major Ukrainian victory in the war. In October 2022, a Ukrainian attack damaged the Kerch Bridge, which links Russia to Moscow-annexed Crimea. The bridge, which holds important strategic and symbolic value, was hit again in July 2023. A year later, in August 2024, Ukrainian forces launched a daring military incursion into Russia's Kursk region, the first time Russian territory was occupied by an invader since World War II. It dealt a humiliating blow to the Kremlin. Russia claimed in April 2025 that it had fully reclaimed the border territory, though Ukraine insists it still has troops present there.
Toronto Star
an hour ago
- Toronto Star
Ukraine and Russia hold talks in Istanbul a day after Kyiv's stunning drone attacks
ISTANBUL (AP) — Delegations from Russia and Ukraine met Monday in Turkey for their second round of direct peace talks in just over two weeks, although expectations were low for any significant progress on ending the3-year-old war after a string of stunning attacks over the weekend. Kyiv officials said a surprise drone attack Sunday destroyed more than 40 warplanes at air bases deep inside Russia, including the remote Arctic, Siberian and Far East regions more than 7,000 kilometers (4,300 miles) from Ukraine.
